Wisconsin Football: Phil Longo’s Star Pupil Taken No. 3 in NFL Draft

Wisconsin football offensive coordinator Phil Longo has reason to celebrate as his former quarterback, Drake Maye, was drafted by the New England Patriots as the third overall pick in the NFL Draft Thursday night.

Longo coached Maye during his first two collegiate seasons at North Carolina. In 2022, Maye’s second year in college and his first year as the starter, he showcased his talent by completing 66.2% of his passes for 4,321 passing yards, 38 touchdowns, seven interceptions, along with 184 carries, 698 rushing yards, and seven rushing TDs.

🔥🔥Let’s Gooooooooo Drake!!!!!!! ⁦@DrakeMaye2⁩ GOOD LUCK!!! pic.twitter.com/n0k1jDFdjD

— Phil Longo (@CoachPhilLongo) April 25, 2024

Despite Longo’s departure to the Wisconsin football program to join Luke Fickell ahead of the 2023 season, Maye continued to excel at North Carolina. However, his performance wasn’t quite as dominant as in 2022, throwing for 3,608 yards and 24 touchdowns to nine interceptions. 

Nonetheless, Longo undoubtedly played a significant role in Maye’s development, contributing to his rise as the No. 3 overall pick in the NFL draft. He now aims to develop the Wisconsin Badgers’ next NFL-caliber quarterback from a room that consists of Tyler Van Dyke, Braedyn Locke, and Mabrey Mettauer. 

Overall, last season’s offensive performance was disappointing, but there were some bright spots, especially in the passing game relative to years past. Wisconsin football made program history with 469 pass attempts and 281 completions in 2023. Further, the Badgers’ 2,862 passing yards ranked fourth all-time. Despite the increased passing attempts due to the scheme change, UW quarterbacks only threw five interceptions, tied for the second-fewest in a season.

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