The Key Reason Tanner Mordecai Is Invaluable to Wisconsin Football

Wisconsin football fans were over the moon during the offseason when the Badgers landed a commitment from Oklahoma transfer Nick Evers. It signaled a shift in credibility with the new coaching staff that (no shade) the previous regime likely couldn’t have pulled off. 

That credibility reached new heights when UW was able to land a big fish — one that nobody else thought was possible — SMU’s Tanner Mordecai — who originally planned to enter the NFL draft. 

Now Mordecai enters fall camp as the unquestioned starting quarterback after getting hand-picked by Phil Longo to usher in his spread offensive system in Madison. 

But the 6-foot-3, 214-pound signal-caller from Texas is invaluable to the Wisconsin football program for one key reason. 

Tanner Mordecai Gives the Wisconsin Football Program Unmatched Experience at Quarterback. 

This point isn’t earth-shattering, but when you consider that the other scholarship quarterback’s on the roster: Braedyn Locke, Nick Evers, Myles Burkett, and Cole LaCrue have a combined three career appearances and six pass attempts — Tanner Mordecai becomes irreplaceable. 

Mordecai threw for 7,152 yards with 72 touchdowns and had 22 interceptions in the past two seasons. He has 967 career pass attempts and has seen game action in 36 contests between Oklahoma and SMU.  

I firmly believe that Locke could step in and help Wisconsin football win games if something happened to Mordecai — but there’s nobody else as battle tested or proven on the roster. 

Luke Fickell‘s coaching staff takes over an offense that ranked No. 77 in the country in scoring and No. 114 in passing yards per game. Under Phil Longo, those numbers should skyrocket, and it’s because of Mordecai that Wisconsin is positioned to hit the ground running. 

A bridge season from Mordecai will give Wisconsin football the perfect blend of winning games now and setting the tone for the future. The young signal callers can learn from an established veteran and see how it’s done on Saturdays before competing for the starting gig in 2024. 

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