There's no time to waste for the Wisconsin Badgers and head coach Luke Fickell. The most important move this offseason isn't bringing in Jeff Grimes to be the team's new offensive coordinator. Nope, it's going to be who the program brings in to be the new starting quarterback.
Both Braedyn Locke and Tyler Van Dyke have entered the transfer portal, meaning they've played their last snap for the Badgers. Speaking of the portal, there are some great options for Fickell and his coaches to try to land.
The list of course includes former Cal signal-caller Fernando Mendoza, ranked the No. 2 QB in the portal according to 247Sports. Mendoza is already starting to hear from several schools, with four standing out. Wisconsin is on the list? Yup, you better believe it:
Georgia, Indiana, UCLA, and Wisconsin are contenders for Cal transfer QB Fernando Mendoza, per @PeteNakos_👀
— On3 (@On3sports) December 12, 2024
Mendoza passed for 3,004 yards, 16 TDs, and 6 INTs this season.
Intel: https://t.co/PhkKMtPJxs pic.twitter.com/9qHVnq69h4
Wisconsin has been mentioned as a contender for Cal QB transfer Fernando Mendoza
Mendoza is coming off a strong season for Cal, tossing for 3,004 yards, 16 touchdowns and six interceptions. It's going to be a tough battle for Fickell to land Mendoza, as Indiana, UCLA and Georgia have also been mentioned as the teams to watch for him.
Not long ago, Wisconsin was also mentioned as a landing spot for Texas A&M transfer Conner Weigman, but he took a recent visit to Houston and wasted no time in giving the Cougars his commitment - it's a no-go for him and UW.
However, Mendoza is yet to make a final decision on where he'll play next, with teams starting to make their pitches to him. For Wisconsin, it's an easy sell. Mendoza could move to Madison and immediately jump in as QB1 for a Big Ten powerhouse hoping to get back on track offensively.
Throughout the 2024 campaign, in which Wisconsin went 5-7, the offense was brutal to watch consistently. Phil Longo's group let this program down in potential upset bids against Penn State and Oregon. That can't be the case in '25, as a new, exciting QB1 will be called on to step up for Fickell. Let's wait and see if that signal-caller ends up being Mendoza.