Wisconsin football mailbag: Phil Longo’s future, underperformers, & more
Wisconsin football mailbag: Phil Longo’s future, underperformers, & more
Badgernotes latest mailbag dives into the future of Phil Longo, a star player who has fallen short of expectations for the Wisconsin Badgers, and more.
Luke Fickell and the Wisconsin Badgers football team (5-4, 3-3 Big Ten) head into the bye week with a chance to regroup before the season’s final stretch, now just one win away from locking up bowl eligibility.
Next up, the Badgers have a home showdown with top-ranked Oregon at Camp Randall. Then they'll hit the road to face Nebraska before closing the regular season at home against Minnesota in the battle for the Axe.
“Right now, as a program and as a team, we know that we have to hang our hats on each other," said Fickell. "We know that we’ve got to get by with everybody doing their part and taking pride in it."
With the team in a holding pattern, Badgernotes received a variety of questions from our loyal readers about the Wisconsin football program. So, without further ado, let’s dive into your Badgers mailbag questions.
Phil Longo clearly isn't the right fit as Wisconsin's offensive coordinator. Do you think it's already a foregone conclusion that the Badgers will have someone else calling plays in 2025?
Let's just call it like it is: Phil Longo’s time as Wisconsin’s offensive coordinator has been a major letdown—no sugarcoating it. Last year, his Air Raid offense led to the Badgers’ lowest scoring average in almost 20 years at 23.5 points per game. And while there’s been a slight uptick this season to 25.1, it’s still far from where it needs to be.
Let’s break down just how underwhelming this offense has been under Longo this season. Right now, the Badgers rank 98th out of 134 football teams in adjusted EPA per play at -0.08, and their overall EPA per play sits even lower at 100th nationally. They’re putting up 5.85 yards per play, which puts them at 83rd in the country—far from elite by any measure.
When you get into the specifics, the struggles become even clearer. Wisconsin ranks 76th in EPA per rush (0.01), so even the ground game—usually the team’s bread and butter—isn’t what it should be. And in the passing department? The Badgers are sitting at 109th in EPA per dropback, which tells you all you need to know about how ineffective this Air Raid system has been with Braedyn Locke under center.
And here’s the kicker: even though this system wasn’t lighting up scoreboards last year, the 2023 offense still graded out better across multiple advanced metrics. They ranked 76th in adjusted EPA per play compared to this year’s 98th, and they actually fared better in EPA per rush (52nd) and yards per play (5.47, ranked 101st) last season.
So, have we seen enough to question whether Longo is the right fit? Absolutely. The data isn’t just a reflection of a learning curve—it’s a clear sign of a coach who hasn’t adapted well to Wisconsin’s strengths despite having two full seasons to recruit the desired personnel. Whether Longo's here in 2025 depends on whether he can show real, meaningful progress over the final three games against quality opponents, but based on what we’ve seen, that feels like a long shot.
A mutual parting of ways feels like where this relationship is heading.
It feels like several of the Wisconsin football team's star players haven't produced at the level we expected. Who do you think has been the biggest letdown so far?
I can certainly agree that a few of Wisconsin's top returning players haven't lived up to the lofty expectations that fans may have had for them entering the season. But for me, that answer is simple: Will Pauling.
Pauling was coming off a redshirt sophomore season with 74 catches, 837 yards, and six touchdowns. He logged five or more receptions in nine of Wisconsin's 13 games, led the Big Ten in slot receiving yards, and snagged 27 third-down catches—the most in the conference since 2012. Naturally, I figured a breakout season was in the cards.
I was wrong on that prediction, and a big part of the reason is Pauling's drop issues—they've gotten out of control. Sure, he’s been dealing with injuries, and that’s worth noting. But the 5-foot-10 slot receiver leads the Power 4 in drops with eight, sitting second nationally.
To be fair, Pauling has still put together a respectable season. He leads the team with 40 catches and sits second in receiving yards at 398. The production is there, but those drops have kept him from reaching that next level, which is frustrating given the potential we saw coming into the year. If Pauling can clean up those inconsistencies, there's still a chance for him to make a real impact down the stretch.
If you could make one personnel change on the Badgers defense to give that unit a spark, what would it be?
Let me start by saying I don’t think any single personnel move will magically elevate this defense to a new level this late in the season.
But if I had to pick, I’d say getting sophomore linebacker Christian Alliegro slightly more involved could make a difference. He’s shown promising flashes of playmaking ability. While Alliegro is still developing, he’s got the instincts and athleticism that could give this defense a bit more of an edge as he continues to grow into the role.
With Jaheim Thomas, the Wisconsin Badgers' leading tackler, limited due to an injury, Alliegro stepped up in a big way against Iowa. The sophomore played a career-high 59 snaps at the inside linebacker spot, per Pro Football Focus, and led the team with an impressive 16 tackles to go along with 1.5 tackles for loss and a sack in the game.
Defensive coordinator Mike Tressel had already hinted at a larger role for the 6-foot-4 LB, stating ahead of the USC game in Week 5: "His role will continue to grow as long as he continues to do the things he's doing. I've been proud of him. I would expect to see more reps from Christian."
And that statement about Alliegro stepping into a bigger role has proven accurate. After playing just 66 snaps in Wisconsin’s first five games, Alliegro’s workload has risen considerably, seeing 108 snaps over the last four weeks. Just to be clear, this isn’t about wanting to throw the younger guy out there for the sake of "potential." Alliegro has shown he can be a legitimate weapon when it comes to pressuring the quarterback.
His Pro Football Focus Pass Rushing Productivity (PRP) rating—a metric that factors in sacks, hits, and hurries relative to the number of rush attempts—is currently the highest among Big Ten linebackers who have been used as pass rushers on at least 10 snaps, with a 28.6% PRP. The Connecticut native also has a 75.7 pass-rushing grade, placing him sixth among Big Ten LBs with 10 or more pass-rush attempts.
Suppose the Badgers can find a way to get Alliegro more snaps on defense; I think his versatility could become an x-factor. It would also allow him to build on his promising moments while ironing out the inconsistencies. Those increased reps also might help elevate Wisconsin’s 120th-ranked havoc rate—and possibly generate some much-needed turnovers, where the team currently sits near the bottom of the Big Ten.
Thomas has held his own out there, and before his injury, he might’ve been playing some of his best football at Wisconsin. I’m not suggesting he should outright take a seat in favor of Alliegro at inside backer, but there’s a lot to like about Alliegro’s tools. All I'm saying is I’d be interested to see more of what he can bring to the table in an expanded role.
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