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Wisconsin Badgers QB Nick Evers Still Adapting to Phil Longo’s Offense

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Wisconsin Badgers football QB Nick Evers
Apr 11, 2023; Madison, WI, USA; Wisconsin quarterback Nick Evers (7) is shown during practice Tuesday, April 11, 2023 at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, Wis. Mandatory Credit: Mark Hoffman-USA TODAY Sports

When the Wisconsin Badgers landed former Oklahoma quarterback Nick Evers in the transfer portal, fans across the state were in utter disbelief.

To help put his talent in perspective, Evers would have been UW’s second highest-rated QB recruit in school history, according to the 247Sports database.

Then, UW added two other signal callers in the portal, SMU’s Tanner Mordecai, who will be the unquestioned starter in 2023, and Mississippi State’s Braedyn Locke, brought in to compete with Evers for the starting gig the following season and beyond.

Through the first half of spring practice, Locke’s earned nearly all of the second-team reps, with Evers splitting time with walk-on Marshall Howe and Myles Burkett on the third team.

The reason? Knowledge of the playbook.

“What he’s working on right now, and we just met one-on-one yesterday, is getting to a point where he understands what’s going on out there in the passing game from a protection standpoint,” Longo told UW reporters. “In the run game, when do we change some things or make a check or throw an RPO…those types of things he’s still on the learning curve with, and that’s why he’s had fewer reps.”

Wisconsin Badgers QB Nick Evers Making Incremental Progress 

Nick Evers, who was initially off to a slow start for the Wisconsin Badgers, has reportedly made noticeable improvements throughout spring practice. In speaking to someone close to him, I learned that he continues to remain patient and put in the necessary work off the field to earn more reps and better position himself to compete come fall camp. 

“I work countless hours every single week in the film room with coach Longo trying to earn my reps,” Evers said. “Coach Longo has a big emphasis on earning your reps on the field based on how you perform in the classroom.”

It’s important to remember this is just spring practice, and during the installation phase, it’s more important to have someone under center who understands the playbook well. That’s why Evers has been forced into taking a back seat.

However, the 6-foot-3 signal-caller has four years of eligibility remaining, making him a perfect long-term play for the Wisconsin Badgers. It’s more critical he takes this season to grasp Phil Longo’s system and refine his game.

It wouldn’t be wise to write him off this early in his development because Evers has the highest upside of any QB on the roster, so the book is far from written on the Texas native. I wouldn’t bet against him.


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Dillon Graff is a Substack Newsletter Best Selling Author and the Owner of BadgerNotes.com, your go-to source for in-depth coverage of the Wisconsin Badgers. His work has been featured in top media publications like USA Today, Bleacher Report, Verbal Commits, B5Q, Saturday Blitz, and Fansided.

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