In a move that shocks absolutely zero Wisconsin Badger fans, Landyn Locke, a former commit to Wisconsin, has decided to play for Sam Houston State. This is no surprise because this is where former offensive coordinator Phil Longo landed as the head coach after being fired by Luke Fickell and the Badgers.
Fired up to be a Bearkat🟠⚪️ @CoachPhilLongo @znpatterson @CoachBrooks22 @KoachV pic.twitter.com/XKIXqubD5c
— Landyn Locke (@LandynLocke) January 13, 2025
Landyn Locke has followed Phil Longo and committed to Sam Houston State.
Locke was set to join the Badgers as a freshman next season and play behind his brother, Braedyn Locke, on the depth chart. Now, neither will be a Badger next season. Braedyn transferred out at the end of the season, and he decided to go and play for the Arizona Wildcats. This is another reason why Landyn decided to no longer become a Badger.
Longo has his quarterback of the future that he planned to spend time working on and developing for Wisconsin, but he will now do that at Sam Houston State. Not just Landyn but also Mabrey Mettauer, who transferred earlier in the portal cycle to Sam Houston State.
Longo made his reputation as the play caller and offensive coordinator for the Bearkats. In his final year at Sam Houston State, that team went 12-1 and averaged 547 yards of offense. He went on to Ole Miss, then North Carolina, and finally to Wisconsin before his tenure, and his style of play just did not work. The Badgers went 5-5 before Luke Fickell decided enough was enough and fired Longo. While it may have been a scapegoat mentality, Fickell needed to move on.
The Badgers will now turn the keys over to new offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes and hope that he can reinvigorate the offense and, by proxy, the team and get Wisconsin headed back in the right direction. The Badgers have brought in two new transfer quarterbacks to compete for the starting job: Billy Edwards Jr. from Maryland and Danny O'Neil from San Diego State.