Tag: Nick Evers

Wisconsin Badgers quarterback entering transfer portal

Wisconsin Badgers quarterback entering transfer portal

The Wisconsin Badgers football team is nearing the halfway point of its  spring practices, but it had a quarterback announce his intentions to transfer Saturday.

After one full season with the Badgers, quarterback Nick Evers has decided to seek his next opportunity elsewhere. The former four-star recruit joined Wisconsin ahead of the 2023 campaign, transferring from Oklahoma after his freshman year.

Evers battled true freshman Mabrey Mettauer for reps behind Tyler Van Dyke and Braedyn Locke during the Badgers’ first seven spring practices and appeared unlikely to be in a position to compete for the starting job with Luke Fickell’s squad in Madison.

The spring transfer portal officially opens on April 16 (Tuesday) and it will close on April 30.

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Wisconsin HC Luke Fickell explains quarterback depth chart after Tanner Mordecai’s injury

Wisconsin HC Luke Fickell explains quarterback depth chart after Tanner Mordecai’s injury

Wisconsin suffered a major blow during its crushing 15-6 loss to Iowa on Saturday, as starting quarterback Tanner Mordecai broke his hand and is now out indefinitely.

The news was originally reported by ESPN’s Pete Thamel and was confirmed by head coach Luke Fickell.

Related: Big Ten Power Rankings after Week 7: Iowa wins the Big Ten West

The Wisconsin head coach went on to clarify where the team’s quarterback depth chart stands during his press conference on Monday. Redshirt freshman Braedyn Locke will be the team’s starter, with a competition between Myles Burkett and Nick Evers for the backup job.

Locke went 15/30 for 122 yards and one interception in relief of Mordecai against Iowa. Wisconsin did score points with Locke in the game, something it wasn’t able to do before Mordecai was injured. But the two second-half field goals were not enough to win the game.

 

Locke was a four-star recruit who committed to Mississippi State in the class of 2022 before transferring to Wisconsin this past offseason. The Badgers will now need to rely heavily on running back Braelon Allen, something the team wasn’t able to do during Saturday’s loss.

Badger Countdown: New number 18 could be future starter under center

Is 18 the future under center?

The 2023 college football season is on the horizon and the Badgers are now 18 days away from their opener against Buffalo on Sept. 2 at home. Transferring to Madison this offseason, quarterback Braedyn Locke will wear number 18 with Wisconsin.

Locke didn’t see any action as a true freshman last season with Mississippi State and he joined Luke Fickell’s squad in January, bringing four years of eligibility with him. The quarterback has impressed this summer and he’s expected to be the primary backup to Tanner Mordecai in 2023.

With Mordecai in his final collegiate campaign, Locke could be the next man up to take over under center next year. It’ll likely be a competition between him and former Oklahoma recruit Nick Evers.

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Phil Longo’s additions at quarterback have all come from the same state

A trend worth noting as we move through the Fickell/Longo era at Wisconsin:

Luke Fickell has made a big deal about excelling in recruiting within a 350-mile radius around Madison, Wisconsin.

Early returns are interesting. Each of the state of Wisconsin’s top six recruits are going elsewhere for college, and much of the Badgers’ class of 2024 is coming from outside that radius.

But it’s early. It is tough to make long-term projections based solely on the first few months of a coach’s first class at a new school. I’m giving Fickell the benefit of the doubt until after the 2025 cycle concludes.

One position both Fickell and offensive coordinator Phil Longo have clearly emphasized since Day 1 is quarterback. After the previous staff somewhat neglected depth at the position and ended up facing the consequences, Longo and Fickell have already added several high-profile names to the room.

The latest addition came this weekend: 2025 commit Landyn Locke. Locke is the younger brother of freshman QB Braedyn Locke. He is unranked on 247Sports.com.

He has something in common with every other quarterback addition made by the new staff this far, however. He’s from the state of Texas.

Here are the five quarterbacks to join or commit to the Wisconsin program since Phil Longo was hired and how they’re tied together. It’s a trend worth noting as we move deeper into the Fickell/Longo era in Madison.

A look at every transfer Wisconsin football has landed in the Luke Fickell era

A look at every transfer Wisconsin has landed in the Luke Fickell era

It’s been a busy transfer portal season for Wisconsin football’s new staff as the Badgers attempt to rebuild the roster for 2023.

The overhaul of Wisconsin’s coaching staff has led to an overhaul of the roster, most notably the quarterback room. New offensive coordinator Phil Longo has helped to reshape the Wisconsin offensive philosophy, and with it has come reinforcements at quarterback and wide receiver.

In total, the Badgers have landed 13 players from the portal including three former four-star quarterbacks. Wisconsin also landed their highest-rated wide receiver in program history.

Here is a look at every player Wisconsin has landed out of the transfer portal during the 2023 cycle:

A look at Wisconsin’s new quarterback room

A look at Wisconsin’s new quarterback room

Wisconsin has had an incredible month and change in the transfer portal, with the biggest overhaul coming in the quarterback room.

The Badgers landed not one, not two, but three former four-star quarterbacks in the portal, and now have one of the deepest rooms in the conference.

Myles Burkett and Chase Wolf are returning to the Badgers, and Wisconsin has 2024 quarterback Mabrey Mettauer coming in shortly.

After three big-time additions, including one transfer who has already put together a pair of top tier college seasons, the Badgers and new offensive coordinator Phil Longo have a good problem: too much depth.

Here is a look at everyone in the new Wisconsin quarterback room:

Dillon Gabriel’s return a ‘boost’ for Oklahoma Sooners

Dillon Gabriel’s return provides a “boost” to the Oklahoma Sooners and their QB room.

Dillon Gabriel’s return for the 2023 season guarantees that the Oklahoma Sooners will have a better quarterback room next season than they did in 2023. Dillon Gabriel and Jackson Arnold give the Sooners two really good quarterback options for next season.

Arnold’s promise is apparent, but Gabriel is the more stable and safer option for OU in 2023. 2024 will be the year of Arnold.

Gabriel’s return brings stability to a QB room desperately needing it. When Gabriel missed time, Jeff Lebby’s offense simply couldn’t function. David Cobb of CBS Sports shared his thoughts on Dillon Gabriel’s final ride with the crimson and cream.

Ultimately, the offense could only do so much when juxtaposed with a defense that gave up 30 points per game and ranked No. 123 nationally in yards allowed. Gabriel also faced the unenviable task of following in a legacy of heralded quarterbacks at OU that included 2022 Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams, who starred as a true freshman at Oklahoma in 2021 before following coach Lincoln Riley to Oklahoma. – Cobb, CBS Sports

Scoring every time is the goal, but having to score every time out puts way too much pressure on an offense. It’s unreasonable to expect a team to score touchdowns on 100% of their drives. The offense was far from the Sooners’ biggest issue in 2022, but it has some work to do. Figuring out how to be more efficient on third downs and in the red zone is a start.

Oklahoma was 50th in the nation in third down conversion percentage at 40.9%. In the red zone, the Sooners scored touchdowns on just 84% of their trips inside the 20-yard line. That was 66th at the FBS level.

That said, retaining Gabriel was the best way forward for the Oklahoma Sooners in 2023. Continuity on the offense between the offensive coordinator, the quarterback, and the remaining players on that side of the ball is huge. It’s enough to withstand departures at wide receiver and on the offensive line. Though there will be question marks that follow the Sooners from spring ball to the start of the regular season, knowing what you have at quarterback helps alleviate any of the stress those other questions might create.

Though Jackson Arnold’s arrival to Norman is one that’s highly anticipated, QB1 is Gabriel’s job, as it should be. Another season in Jeff Lebby’s system and with extensive experience at the Power Five level, Gabriel has a chance to have a much better season for the Sooners in 2023.

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Russell Wilson and J.J. Watt are ready to watch new Wisconsin QB Nick Evers

The Badger legends reunite in Denver

Once a Badger, always a Badger is how the saying goes. For Russell Wilson and J.J. Watt, their bond as Badgers has extended far into their outstanding NFL careers.

This past week was a massive one for Wisconsin football and new head coach Luke Fickell as the Badgers brought in a number of high-profile signees. There was arguably no bigger get than Oklahoma transfer quarterback Nick Evers.

With the Denver Broncos and Arizona Cardinals matching up on Sunday, Watt and Wilson reconnected postgame after Denver’s 24-15 win. The conversation? Well, it surrounded Wisconsin picking up Nick Evers.

NFL Hard Knocks captured the moment on camera:

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BREAKING: Wisconsin lands former four-star QB Nick Evers

The Badgers land a former four-star quarterback in the portal

On Saturday morning, Wisconsin capped off a monster recruiting week with the biggest early get of the Luke Fickell era.

The Badgers have officially landed Oklahoma transfer quarterback Nick Evers. The Flower Mound, Texas native was a consensus four-star recruit in the 2022 class and the No. 9 quarterback overall according to 247Sports.

The 6-foot-3 transfer only attempted one pass during his freshman season as a Sooner, as he sat behind UCF transfer Dillon Gabriel.

Evers originally committed to Florida before deciding to flip to Oklahoma. While he isn’t someone that plays a true dual-threat style, he gives Fickell a mobile quarterback who can extend plays and make things happen with his legs.

Evers announced the news on Twitter:

Here is a look at some of the best reaction from Wisconsin football Twitter and the national college football world:

Which 2023 Florida commit does ESPN think will have the biggest impact?

Florida has plenty of commits to get excited about in the 2023 class, but ESPN thinks one will have a greater impact on the program than the rest.

Florida’s incoming class of recruits has a bunch of studs in it, but there’s one player that ESPN thinks will be the most important piece: quarterback [autotag]Jaden Rashada[/autotag].

Perhaps it’s not all that surprising that ESPN picked Rashada. He’s Florida’s top-30 ranked that flipped from in-state rival Miami, so he should be getting some hype, especially when his first commitment (to UM) send Gators fans spiraling on social media. But it’s the timing of Rashada’s arrival that makes him such a key piece for Florida.

“The Gators lost a commitment from ESPN 300 quarterback [autotag]Nick Evers[/autotag] in the 2022 class when he flipped to Oklahoma,” ESPN Staff Writer Tom VanHaaren wrote. “Napier signed three-star [autotag]Max Brown[/autotag] to fill the void of Evers, but the 6-foot-4-inch, 185-pound Rashada is a big win for the future of the program.”

VanHaaren suggests that Rashada will get a year to learn under [autotag]Anthony Richardson[/autotag], but there are many that believe he’s headed to the draft this offseason. That accelerates the timeline and Florida doesn’t have a ton of options behind Richardson.

[autotag]Jack Miller III[/autotag] was out all year recovering from a thumb injury suffered in the spring, so there’s a real chance that Rashada is competing with him for the starting job as soon as he arrives on campus. Giving Rashada a chance to learn behind Richardson is ideal, but things don’t always work out perfectly when NFL scouts are involved.

ESPN does mention Florida’s impressive defensive line class, headlined by [autotag]Kelby Collins[/autotag], but the timing of Rashada’s arrival is too impactful to deny.

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