Wisconsin Spring Practice Notes: Kevin Heywood Back and Better than Ever

MADISON, Wis. — Wisconsin offensive line coach Eric Mateos isn’t taking it easy on Kevin Heywood. While Heywood is roughly one year removed from a season-ending ACL injury, Mateos shot it straight with the sophomore left tackle when he arrived in Madison — Heywood’s pass sets needed work, and a lot of it.

Through nine spring practices, Heywood’s teammates, particularly those on the defensive side of the ball, have lauded how much Heywood has improved in pass protection.

“I’m not taking credit for anything. I mean, we could have pulled up a YouTube video, and the set would have been better than what he was doing,” Mateos told reporters on Friday. “Sometimes when you’re a young player, you just watch a set, and you don’t really know what you’re watching. You’re watching the whole set where it’s like, ‘Hey, Kevin, focus on your front leg for two kicks. Keep that more square. Hey, see where you’re carrying your hands? Try to carry them like this.

“So we’ve tried to fix, maybe one thing at a time within the set, because you can’t just snap your fingers and fix a whole pass set, especially one that was as weird as his coming off an injury. think he’s put a lot of focus and a lot of time on it, and it has improved quite a bit.”

Former D2 Product Quietly Impressing for Wisconsin

One of the last additions out of the transfer portal for Wisconsin, Stylz Blackmon didn’t come to Madison with many headlines. The former Division 2 standout of Augustana, Blackmon, was a two-year starter, starting every game of his collegiate career.

Mateos joked that his “secret” when determining who to target in the transfer portal was to start with each player’s hometown — looking at those who hailed from Wisconsin or his hometown of Kansas City. Blackmon, who happens to hail from the City of Fountains, got a leg up with Mateos.

So far, it’s a decision Mateos doesn’t regret. Blackmon has looked terrific with the second-team unit and even dabbled with the first unit during his first spring on campus.

“He was someone I saw just on a random Wednesday night, sitting in my hotel, just when I moved here. Saw he was from the Kansas City area, I said, ‘Okay, let me investigate.’ I saw he was two years (in) and started every game he had gotten since he was a freshman.

“Watching the tape. He’s just a good player. He just blocks his guy. It sounds very novice to say, but he just blocks…It’s not always perfect, and we’re working on a lot of just skills and things to make him realize that this is the extra energy and intensity you have to bring at this level of football. You maybe got away with only emptying three-quarters of the tape at your last school. In this rep against this defensive line, you’re going to maybe have to empty the tank.

“He’s got a really high football IQ. Really good feet. Great flexibility. He’s just been awesome, a great addition. I think it’s just another testament to our personnel department and having their eyes open and looking for people that, and then coach Fickell (Luke Fickell), being open to bring players from lower levels and not be scared from that, you know, like trusting the coaches to make the evaluations. I really appreciate that nobody second-guessed it when I said I wanted him.”

Mateos Touts Cubberly as Very Improved

Wisconsin returns just two starters from last season’s offensive line. Sophomore Emerson Mandell, who is out for the remainder of the spring with a foot injury, and sophomore Colin Cubberly, who is battling for a job at guard.

According to Mateos, Cubberly might be the most improved player in his unit.

“He’s gone through kind of a transformation from how he views himself,” Mateos explained. “I think he kind of viewed himself as like, ‘Hey, I’m a contributor. I want to try and not spill the milk.’ That’s kind of how he played last season. ‘I want to hurt people, but I don’t want to mess up.’ That was kind of how his film looked as a redshirt freshman.

“He’s learning how to play it more under control and play with his cleats in the grass and not play as top-heavy as he did last season. So, feel like he’s one of the most improved players that I’ve had in a while. From a season to a spring, I’m really impressed with him. He’s still got a long, long way to go, though. We got to get better and in drop back pass sets with him. We got to get better in our hand placement and protection, and how fast we refit. Sometimes he’s getting too locked on his run blocking. When you’re run blocking, you want to just grip it and rip it. And then protection, it’s a lot more hand replacing and finding leverage throughout the course of the down.

“That’s where he has to keep growing as we finish spring.”

The Key to the Wisconsin Offensive Line

Oklahoma State transfer Austin Kawecki might be the best transfer Wisconsin took in the portal ahead of the 2026 season. The senior has been terrific all spring, solidifying a position the Badgers have struggled with in the Fickell era.

“It’s the most important thing we did,” Mateos said of adding Kawecki. “What’s maybe the negative of our group right now? We don’t have as many skins on the wall. We haven’t been in as many wars as maybe some other groups. To me, if you’re in that situation, you have to find a veteran center, a guy who has been in those, who can communicate, understands the calls and adjustments we’re making.

“I have a veteran center who’s been in a lot of wars, and is smart, I can maybe just tell him. I don’t have to tell everybody else, and then I don’t have other guys thinking about too many things. But I got the veteran, smart guy.”