MADISON, Wis. — Jack Nelson spent so much time in AJ Blazek’s office this offseason watching pass protection cut-ups of himself that he might as well have paid rent. Nelson, a three-year starter for Wisconsin, was in his head about his performance at left tackle and recognized his first-year position coach represented the key to unlocking his potential.
So they sat and talked over game film. And then they talked some more, with Blazek continually returning to a basic strategy: Diagnose the problem. Find a simple and effective solution.
The problem was Nelson’s penchant for jumping offsides in the first season of a new offensive system as well as putting himself in poor position to finish pass sets. Nelson recorded a Big Ten-high 12 penalties, including seven holding calls and five false starts. He was so fired up to come off the ball and block the edge that he thought he needed to hurry out of his stance.
Blazek explained that being in a hurry before the snap actually wouldn’t help Nelson get to his spot quicker. It would only throw off his timing and make him feel more stressed while playing with less poise. Trusting his natural ability mattered.
Once Blazek ingrained that concept into Nelson’s mind, he tweaked his technique. Blazek worked with Nelson on playing with better posture and a more upright back instead of being too bent over in his set. That change, as well as blocking with tighter shoulder blades to redirect a pass rusher more quickly, allowed Nelson to play with a greater center of gravity and not fall off his defender.
The results have been evident. Nelson has been penalized just twice in six games this season — one false start and one block below the waist. According to Pro Football Focus, he has allowed five pressures, four hurries and one sack. A year ago, he surrendered 18 pressures, 13 hurries and four sacks.
“I’ve got to give a lot of credit to coach Blazek,” Nelson said. “I’d say he’s the majority of the reason for that. We talk about everything. Is your head too far in front of your toes? Is your step 3 inches too far? Is your stance just a little bit too, whatever? I think he’s really detailed.”
It’s just one example of the intricate knowledge, personable nature and effective communication style Blazek has brought to revitalize Wisconsin’s offensive line. Wisconsin (4-2, 2-1 Big Ten) enters its game Saturday at Northwestern (3-3, 1-2) having eclipsed 500 yards of total offense in consecutive Big Ten games for the first time since 2010.
The Badgers found a rhythm by blending the big pass plays offensive coordinator Phil Longo seeks with a more physical approach reminiscent of previous Badgers regimes. That starts with an offensive line playing some of its best football in recent memory. Wisconsin has 11 rushing touchdowns over its previous three games and has allowed just one sack during that stretch — the third fewest nationally in conference play.
Coach Luke Fickell said Wisconsin’s use of the same starting offensive line in each game helped the group develop chemistry. Nelson, left guard Joe Brunner, center Jake Renfro, right guard Joe Huber and right tackle Riley Mahlman have played in 154 career games with 133 starts. All of them were on the roster a year ago, and three of them started during a season that led to Fickell’s firing of offensive line coach Jack Bicknell Jr.
Given the importance of the offensive line to Wisconsin’s success — and the fact there was about to be a fourth O-line coach in as many seasons — Fickell understood he had to get his next hire right. All indications are he has with Blazek.
“He understands how each person needs to be coached,” Brunner said. “I can take a little heat. I can take a little pushing, make me angry a little bit. I think he’s a technician, too. He knows how to teach details and he’ll be hands-on with you, which not a lot of coaches are.”
Blazek, an All-Big Ten center at Iowa, began his coaching career as a graduate assistant for the Hawkeyes from 2002 to 2004. He worked at Fort Hays State and then earned assistant coach of the year honors from the American Football Coaches Association at Winona State in 2012.
He said he first learned concepts of the air raid offense during his next stop at Western Illinois. Ted Schlafke, who played quarterback for Longo at the University of Minnesota-Duluth, was the Western Illinois offensive coordinator when Blazek was on staff. Blazek later coached at Rutgers, North Dakota State and Vanderbilt before Fickell hired him this offseason.
Blazek said his philosophy is to present the same looks to his players over and over until they reach a point at which they stop thinking and simply react. He said players are more likely to succeed if they receive a playlist at the start of the week with 80 percent of the same concepts from the previous week. Blazek and assistant offensive line coach Casey Rabach do it with a physical style that aligns with Fickell’s vision for the offensive line. Blazek said the practice script on Tuesdays calls for an inside run period that features eight plays. It is the most physical sequence of the entire week, he said.
“If we do practice that way, it doesn’t catch us on a Saturday,” Blazek said. “And I wasn’t here a year ago. But the intensity of practice and physicality, the guys say they love it.”
Nelson said Blazek is relatable to players in a way that resonates. He is actively involved in a group text message thread with his linemen. Blazek constantly sends game plan tips, scouting tidbits on the defensive line and funny memes or links he sees on X. That relatability has gone a long way in Blazek’s ability to recruit. He has commitments from five players in the 2025 class.
Blazek said he believes players want to learn from him because he teaches in descriptive, engaging ways. He makes his linemen teach each other during meetings by asking questions of them so they have more of an investment in what’s taking place on the field. He doesn’t tell them to visualize being near a defender’s shoulder on a down block. He tells them he wants to block through the bicep/tricep area and shatter the upper arm bones.
“It’s a different speed in which you play,” Blazek said. “And we talk about we’re going to run through aiming points, not to aiming points. It gives the visual of, ‘I’ve got to show up with some energy and some speed.’”
Renfro acknowledged the type of adjustment Wisconsin’s offensive line endured last season in moving to a more pass-heavy system, and having another year to prepare certainly plays a role in the improvement. But he also said Blazek has better ingrained the tools necessary for success: take the fight to the opponent and don’t position block or run around anybody.
“Last year was more, ‘All right, be at the right place at the right time. Our running backs will make us right,’” Renfro said. “And now this year, it’s like, ‘OK, we’re going to do it. We’re going to run through a person’s face and then our running backs are going to have a clear hole instead of trying to make people miss.’ I would say that’s definitely the biggest difference from last year.”
Blazek’s intentionality and intensity are hallmarks. Renfro described Blazek as a person with the most energy he’s ever seen — and Blazek doesn’t even drink caffeine. Blazek said he is more inclined to show calmness on game day because his intensity typically is on display during practices on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday during the meat of the workweek.
He constantly challenges his starters to be better. And if they’re having too much success, he’ll challenge the scout team to make it more difficult for them. Blazek told players the people who said they weren’t very good earlier in the season when they were 2-2 are the same ones offering praise now. What matters is living in the same bubble and taking the next steps toward consistent improvement.
The standard of offensive line play at Wisconsin is exceptionally high — something Renfro said players embrace and are reminded of each time they walk into their position room and see the list of former Badgers All-Americans lining the walls. After a carousel at offensive line coach, Blazek is optimistic he can provide stability and build on the expectations for success.
“The standard was here long before any of us that were in the room right now,” Blazek said. “I just think we’re having a lot more fun because we’re a lot closer to where it’s at. And if we’re over it, then the goal is to raise it. Get there, uphold it and then raise it. We’re in it together, and they know that.”
(Top photo of Joe Brunner and Jack Nelson: Jeff Hanisch / Imagn Images)
