With the 2024 season winding down, there's a lot for Luke Fickell to sort out by the time New Year's comes around. His search for a new offensive coordinator and potentially quarterback will be at the top of the list. So how might things shape up in the coming months?
Offensive Coordinator Decision
After firing offensive coordinator Phil Longo this week, head coach Luke Fickell will have a big decision ahead of him for 2025. The Longo hire never worked from the start, as the Badger offense has sputtered the last two years in his Air Raid scheme.
There are few candidates internally, and if Fickell felt strongly about any of them, he probably would have named a new play-caller this year. Instead, the head man said the team will take a "collaborative" approach to play-calling for the final two games. That means the new coordiantor will most likely be an outside hire. Ohio State's Brian Hartline had garnered some attention, although he doesn't have much experience and he and Fickell never intersected in Columbus. Someone who Fickell does have experience with, and who will be one of the most sought after offensive minds this offseason, is former FAU head coach Tom Herman. It has the makings of a more natural fit for Fickell than the Longo hire.
Decision: Tom Herman
Quarterback Decision
Fickell will also have a major decision to make at quarterback. Braedyn Locke hasn't shown that he should get another year after a generally poor 2024. So that leaves Tyler Van Dyke, who is coming back from injury, and may not even choose to return to Wisconsin, a young player or another transfer.
Van Dyke is interesting should he choose to return, but he was hand-picked by Longo, and may not fit into the new vision for the offense. Freshman Mabrey Mettauer is intriguing as well, but you have to think if he can't get in over Locke right now, he still has a very long way to go before commanding a Power conference offense. Locke's younger brother Landyn will be a true freshman, as well as potential commit Carter Smith, but they both face a similar battle as Mettauer.
So could Wisconsin go out and get a transfer again? It's possible, and there should be plenty of options, but Fickell may choose buck the trend and build from within. Every option seems equally possible, but the one that would make the most sense with a Tom Herman hire is another transfer. He'll want his own guy, and one that can run as well as pass. Boston College transfer Thomas Castellanos fits the bill, as long as Wisconsin can afford him.