A former Badgers assistant has a new home in the Big 12.
One of the bigger storylines of last offseason for the Wisconsin Badgers was the departure of offensive line coach Jack Bicknell, who was replaced by A.J. Blazek coming over from the Vanderbilt Commodores.
Offensive line play had taken a hit in 2023, despite having a number of veteran starters, leading the Badgers to have a change for the fourth straight season.
Well, the move to Blazek turned out to be a resounding success, as Wisconsin had some strong offensive line play in 2024 behind their veteran core, while hitting the recruiting trail hard over the last two classes.
Despite working on a shorter clock, Blazek brought in five offensive linemen in the 2024 recruiting class, headlined by four-star tackle Kevin Heywood.
Then, he followed that up with another strong five-lineman class in 2025, getting big commitments from four-stars Logan Powell, Hardy Watts, and Nolan Davenport over some other serious suitors.
On the flip side, Bicknell took a year off from coaching, but he now has a new home, as the 61-year-old was hired by the West Virginia Mountaineers as their new offensive line coach under recently hired head coach Rich Rodriguez.
Bicknell has an extensive coaching history in college football and the NFL, and is nearing his 40th year of coaching soon. Here’s his full resume:
1986: Boston College (GA)
1987–1992: New Hampshire (DL)
1993–1996: New Hampshire (OL)
1997–1998: Louisiana Tech (OL)
1999–2006: Louisiana Tech
2007–2008: Boston College (OL)
2009–2011: New York Giants (assistant OL)
2012: Kansas City Chiefs (OL)
2013: Pittsburgh Steelers (OL)
2014–2015: Miami Dolphins (assistant OL)
2017–2019: Ole Miss (OL)
2020: Auburn (OL)
2021: Louisville (OL)
2022: North Carolina (OL)
2023-2024: Wisconsin (OL)
2025-present: West Virginia (OL)