Rebuilding the Standard: The Wisconsin Offensive Line

Spring Forward 2026 - Part 1

From a purely academic standpoint studying the play of the Badgers offensive line play in the immediate aftermath of spring practice may seem premature. A new offensive line coach, shifting roles, and a complete group overall via the transfer portal set up the line for an uncertain spring which could be seen as more reconstruction than refinement. Instead of building upon an established foundation this group is in the early stages of redefining its identity (there’s that damn I word again) by recapturing the essence of Wisconsin offensive line play (physicality) with an eye toward the future (playing smart while doing so).

When Eric Mateos took over as offensive line coach he inherited a collection of parts. Add on top of that transfers, position changes, limited shared experience, and not a whole lot of proven production playing together as a five-man unit. Physically it’s an intriguing group, but structurally incomplete. The early returns are exactly what you would expect from a group with that composition where the attitude is ahead of the execution. There are flashes of real physicality with guys finishing blocks, playing with an edge, showing the kind of nastiness that Wisconsin fans have been asking for since Luke Fickell took over. When you ask Coach Mateos he would say that nasty streak should be a given, but when communication breaks down, and the timing is off that is where the trust between players is still being built.

One of the more interesting things about how the line has worked this spring is how intentionally uncomfortable the environment was made to be. There was a heavy emphasis on isolated blocking, pass protection and blitz pickup, which are the exact situations where linemen are most likely to get exposed. because defensive players have the advantage in space. For the offensive line there’s less help, less margin for error, and when something goes wrong, it goes wrong quickly and visibly. So when you see offensive linemen losing reps in those settings, that’s not a sign that things are going off the rails. That’s the point of the exercise. Instead of masking weaknesses inside scheme or protecting players with structure, the staff is forcing development at the individual level first. It’s not the cleanest way to run practice, and of course the game is played more with the line working as a unit, but by exposing the more glaring flaws the staff has a solid idea of what they are working with and the path forward.

I love watching coaches coach. I love listening to coaches talk about their craft even in a setting where they are trying to dumb down the coach speak for the layman (like the media). And this spring we learned a lot about the environment the Badgers offensive line will be working in to return to how we (as laymen) expect Badgers offensive linemen to play. And that is a teaching driven system where there’s a clear emphasis on building skills before expanding into scheme. That might seem like an obvious approach until you realize how often that order gets flipped. It’s easy to install plays. It’s much harder to build players who can execute those plays consistently against different looks, at different speeds, under pressure without micromanaging their skills. So instead of overloading the group with concepts Coach Mateos is anchoring everything in technique.

Footwork before hands. Leverage before violence. Control before chaos. You can see it in how reps are coached, corrected, and repeated. There is aggression but there’s a clear rejection of reckless aggression. The goal isn’t just to be physical it is to be functionally physical. To win blocks because you’re in the right position with the right mechanics, and not just because you’re trying to overpower someone.

What makes it especially interesting is how intentional the approach has been. This is a room built on players of different body types and levels of experience at different points in their developmen. The coaching staff cant’t force it into a single mold instead everything gets filtered through the same core teaching of winning leverage with hands, hips, and position. That’s the framework, and everything else gets built around it on an individual basis.

That kind of detail focused tailored coaching is the kind of thing that should pay off in a big way over time. When you prioritize individual development like this you are banking on a better long term ceiling at the expense of slower short term cohesion. But by building a player from the ground floor up so to speak through technique and a shared language the options are endless when it eventually comes to building scheme. Good scheme is the result of great cohesion.

Offensive line play is unique in that five players have to operate as one. You can have talented individuals, you can have technically sound players, but if they’re not seeing the same picture and reacting in sync, it doesn’t work. And often, what looks like a physical breakdown is actually a communication issue. A missed call, a late adjustment, a misunderstanding of responsibility are the things that get quarterbacks hit and runs blown up. That’s why the emphasis on a common language and communication is so important right now. By standardizing the language and making sure everyone is speaking the same football dialect, the staff is removing one of the biggest sources of error before it shows up on Saturdays. It’s not the most exciting part of offensive line play, but it’s arguably the most critical, especially for a group that hasn’t played together much.

From a personnel standpoint I think the depth chart is starting to take shape. The tackle spots provide a level of stability that allows everything else to develop. The move of PJ Wilkins to left tackle took a lot of us by surprise but the move reflects a philosophical shift toward prioritizing traits over traditional position measurables and expectations. Does he have a traditional tackle body? Maybe not but as the film proves he has the anchor and long wing span to hold down the blindside which allows Kevin Heywood to move to a more natural position on the right side. The combination of size and movement ability is there, and the nastiness never left. The early signs post ACL injury are encouraging so the challenge now is consistency. In a swing tackle type role we have den jättestore svensken Sweden Lucas Simmons-Johannson who got some reps with the first offense at left tackle late in camp.

At guard things are more fluid. The guard competition is both a strength and a source of instability. Different players bring different qualities, and competition breeds depth. In the short term it adds to the inconsistency you see in communication and timing. The injury to Emerson Mandell was unfortunate, but it opened up the door for Stylz Blackmon to enter the competition. The D2 transfer has all of the intangibles you’re looking for in an interior offensive linemen and his versatility with being able to play center as well is an asset. He just needs to be brought up to B1G speed but if early indications are to be believed he is on the way.

The center position despite carrying a disproportionate amount of responsibility is a beacon of calm in the form of Oklahoma State transfer Austin Kawecki. With so many moving pieces Austin is the stabilizer, both mentally and physically. At some point I would love to break down his film for the Dairy Raid, but in a nutshell what you have is a scheme perfect center who is comfortable running and walling off a 3 tech in the wide zone and stunning an interior rush or blitzing LB. A couple reps absorbing Mason Posa and Cooper Catalano is enough for me to be sold on him.

By the end of spring, the overall trajectory of the offense is positive. The physical tools are there, and technical foundation is being built. The players appear to be buying into the coaching. ‘They are rebuilding an identity from the ground up. It’s not going to be the nostalgic version of what Wisconsin offensive line play used to be, but a version that can function in the current landscape of college football.

But for the first time this spring I have a grasp of what they are trying to become. If that foundation holds the have a chance to be more than just a functional part of the offense. There’s a chance to be the thing everything else is built on. A very Wisconsin thought...