Former Wisconsin football analyst: Eric Mateos a 'home-run hire' for Badgers
Checking in with a former Badgers analyst who has some experience coaching alongside Wisconsin's expected new offensive line coach.
Ryan Bright found an early connection with Eric Mateos when he arrived at Arkansas in 2024.
It looks like the two could have even more to talk about shortly.
Bright spent the last two seasons as a defensive quality control analyst with the Razorbacks. He arrived from Stanford, where one of Mateos’ college teammates was a strength coach for the Cardinal.
But Bright also previously worked his way up from graduate assistant to defensive analyst during his five seasons at the University of Wisconsin that ended in 2022. The Badgers announced Thursday the hire Mateos as its next offensive line coach, which was first reported Wednesday by 247Sports.
He will replace assistant AJ Blazek, who Badger Observer confirmed was relieved of his duties this week. Blazek’s contract “will not be renewed” and “is no longer with the program,” according to a separate Wisconsin statement Thursday.
Update, 3:55 p.m. CT: This article now includes Wisconsin’s announcement of Mateos’ hiring on Thursday, along with a separate statement regarding Blazek’s status.
