Rebuilt QB Room Set to Become Strength of the Wisconsin Football Program

After years of saying the Wisconsin football program was just a “quarterback away” from taking the next step – the Badgers find themselves in a never before seen situation.

UW went from a QB room consisting of Graham Mertz, who never quite lived up to the hype and some JAGs, to a depth chart full of high-pedigree talents vying for the QB1 job.

“We were not at all happy with where the quarterback room was when we got here, just evaluating it,” Longo said. “We wanted a QB that was talented enough to do specific things in the system, and we felt like we needed to go to the portal to get that. So, we brought in Tanner Mordecai, Braedyn Locke, and Nick Evers, three quarterbacks who probably would not have considered Wisconsin with the previous offense. That’s not a knock on the previous offense — that’s just the truth. They want to be in a diverse system that can be more prolific and more explosive. This system provides that opportunity.”

To help put their talent in perspective, Nick Evers and Braedyn Locke would have been Wisconsin’s No. 2 and No. 5 highest-rated QB recruits in school history (2024 four-star Mabrey Mettauer is currently No. 3), according to the 247Sports database.

What makes their additions even more impressive is that, barring injury, neither player will start for the Wisconsin football program in 2023 because SMU transfer Tanner Mordecai has that spot in the bag.

Sometimes it’s still hard to wrap my head around the fact Luke Fickell and Phil Longo brought in Mordecai, Evers, and Locke at QB all in one off-season.

Wisconsin is Overhauling Its Entire Offensive System 

Wisconsin football will run an entirely different offensive scheme in 2023 and beyond, thanks to the hiring of Phil Longo as the Badgers new offensive coordinator, who was brought in to implement his patented “air raid” system in Madison.

The Badgers are transitioning from the run-heavy offense they’ve run dating back to the Barry Alvarez era — and will now run a modified “air raid” system that coach Longo has successfully run at several different collegiate stops. 

“Stretch them [opponents] horizontally pre-snap, vertically post-snap, and then let’s find a way to get them [UW’s playmakers] the ball so we can watch athletes go be athletes,” Longo told UW reporters when discussing his offensive philosophy.

Luke Fickell and Longo are inheriting a broken offense; however, it does return core players on the offensive line, running back, and wide receiver. Additionally, the new staff landed several impact transfers in the portal to help provide additional playmakers.

So–a quick turnaround on offense isn’t out of the realm of possibility. The Badgers need their offense to be a viable threat that compliments its already impressive defense to have a shot at winning the Big Ten West next season.

Wisconsin Football Could Become Known for…Its Offense? 

This past season, Wisconsin’s offense ranked No. 78 in the country in scoring and No. 91 in total yardage, making a complete and utter overhaul of UW’s offense borderline non-negotiable. 

That said, I’d be shocked if the Badgers didn’t flip the script and become an above-average to really good offensive unit — even in year one under the new regime. 

Under Phil Longo, his starting quarterbacks have a five-year average of 3,704 passing yards per season. He also led North Carolina to top-3 finishes in the ACC in yards per play in the past four seasons. 

Pair the success of Longo’s passing attack with Wisconsin’s already successful run game, and the Badgers could be cooking with gas in 2023 and beyond.

Wisconsin Football Has a Win-Win Situation at QB

Tanner Mordecai’s addition to the Wisconsin football program makes for the perfect short/long-term situation. 

The new regime gets a proven, talented QB1 with experience and pedigree who can run the offense and elevate the passing attack on day one – while kickstarting a new era of Wisconsin football. 

His addition also allows for talented transfer portal additions Nick Evers and Braedyn Locke, both redshirt freshmen, the necessary time to develop and learn from a sixth-year veteran before battling for the starting job in 2024. 

Let’s also remember that four-star QB Mabrey Mettauer (No. 3 highest-rated QB recruit in school history) joins the program in 2024 and could quickly push for reps, adding another intriguing arm into Wisconsin’s stable of signal callers. 

The present and future alike look bright for the Wisconsin football program — especially at QB. It’s insane to think that what was once the Achilles heel of the program could now become one of the Badgers strengths moving forward.