Now that the dust has settled from this past Wednesday’s National Signing Day, what will the offensive positions look like for Wisconsin Football? We take an in-depth look at each position, what they have gained through recruiting and transfers, as well as what they’ve lost through the transfer portal.
Star-studded quarterback room
The biggest changes to a position for Wisconsin have to be at quarterback. 2-year starter Grahm Mertz left, transferring to Florida. His backup, Chase Wolfe, immediately announced that he was returning for his 6th year after UW’s 24-17 bowl win over Oklahoma State. I wonder though if he would have made the same decision if he knew all of the high-caliber talent that was soon to descend upon Madison.
First to announce his intention to play next season at Wisconsin was Nick Evers via the transfer portal from Oklahoma. A former 4-star recruit from Texas, Nick comes to Madison with 4 years of eligibility.
A day after UW’s bowl win, Tanner Mordecai, a 2-year starter at SMU, entered the portal with the intention of making Madison his final stop. Also another former 4-star recruit, this marks the second time in Mordecai’s collegiate career that he has changed homes, as he started out at Oklahoma and played there for two seasons before transferring to SMU. Mordecai has 2 years of eligibility remaining.
One more former 4-star recruit joined the room when Braedyn Locke announced his intentions to leave Mississippi State for Wisconsin. As he did not take a snap for the Bulldogs this past season, he also has a full 4 years left in his college career.
Wisconsin football didn’t just rebuild its quarterback room through transfers though. Cole LaCrue, a 3-star dual-threat QB from Broomfield, Colorado is an incoming freshman.
One other QB actually left Wisconsin too. In a rare move within the conference, Deacon Hill left the Badgers and moved to Iowa.
The level of quarterback talent that flocked to Wisconsin since Luke Fickell took over the reins is impressive indeed. While it is not only a luxury but a necessity these days to have depth at the QB position, it is unrealistic to think that all of these players will stay in Madison. I expect Mordecai to have a leg up but see Evers making a solid push for the starting job.
Wisconsin’s QB position battle should be one of the most interesting position battles in the country.