New UCF OL coach AJ Blazek dives into intense spring practices, prioritizing penalties and team mindset for offensive line improvement.
UCF offensive line coach AJ Blazek is among the new assistant coaching hires to join the Knights' ranks this season.
Blazek joined UCF after two seasons with Wisconsin, spending three years at Vanderbilt prior to that.
At Spring Practice on Thursday, Blazek talked about getting started with his new squad, giving props to the rest of the coaching staff for getting him up to speed.
"It's been awesome, man. It's been 100 miles an hour," Blazek said. "You know, the way Coach Frost organizes, runs things, you know, it's here for guys to work and for us to move and develop and to grind and take steps forward. Players, coaches, the offense, the offensive line. So the tempo at which we've worked has been a lot of fun and a lot of things [have been] going on since getting here, just in 3 months, but settling in with these guys and excited about where it's headed."
Blazek was extremely complimentary of Frost and the rest of the coaching staff, saying that familiarity was a big reason for his decision to join UCF.
"I think, you know, opportunity, and whether it's a player or a coach, it was, you know, I had just went through everything at Wisconsin and Scott and I, Grinch and I had been together and worked together," Frost said. "You know, a bunch of people from Coach Frost's past or guys I played with and his close friends. So, we've always known of each other a little bit. And I think what he was looking to do here really fit what I like to do and so I think when when the pieces fell together, it worked out."
Blazek added that he has known UCF Athletic Director Terry Mohajir "through the profession," saying that the people in leadership make the program "awesome."
He expressed excitement for the unit he has assembled, saying that the offensive line room has a nice mix of returning leaders and new additions.
But, he also emphasized the offensive line's room for growth. One massive area of focus is penalties, which the UCF trenches struggled with last season.
"I think it goes back to mindset again. We talked about body language. If you got a bounce to you, you may miss a block, you're going to move on to the next one and get it right," Blazek said. "If you got bad body language and you miss it, you're going to pout about it. and you're going to be behind and miss the next one. I I look at cadences and procedural stuff, those are all our advantage."
Blazek's energy and focus were evident throughout his press conference, as he expressed his plans for an offensive line turnaround and laid out his plans for success.
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