Tag: Phil Longo

Four-star wide receiver from Pennsylvania receives offer from Wisconsin

Wisconsin offered David Washington Jr, a four-star wide receiver from Philadelphia on Friday.

The Badgers offered David Washington Jr., a four-star wide receiver from Philadelphia on Friday. The junior in high school still has one more season at St. Joseph’s Prep before he’ll potentially make the jump to college football as a member of the class of 2024.

Washington Jr. has now gotten nine Division 1 offers, with Wisconsin joining Big Ten rivals Penn State and Maryland in offering the wideout. The Badgers have shifted their recruiting focus greatly since head coach Luke Fickell and offensive coordinator Phil Longo took over, really going after wide receivers in the transfer portal and now at the high school level.

In addition to Washington Jr., Wisconsin has also offered two other players for the class of 2024 from St. Joseph’s Prep, offering fellow wide receiver Brandon Rehmann and cornerback Omillio Agard.

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Badgers offer four-star wide receiver for class of 2024

Wisconsin offered Jaylan Hornsby, a class of 2024 four-star wide receiver from New Jersey on Thursday.

Wisconsin offered Jaylan Hornsby, a four-star wide receiver from Camden, New Jersey on Thursday. The 6-foot-3, 195 pound athlete is a junior at Camden High School and still has one more season before potentially joining a collegiate program as a member of their class of 2024.

Hornsby has received 12 Division 1 offers now, with the Badgers becoming the sixth program within the Big Ten to offer him. With head coach Luke Fickell and offensive coordinator Phil Longo at the helm now, Wisconsin has increased their push to acquire wide receivers this offseason, reeling in four athletes at the position via the transfer portal.

With class of 2024 four-star quarterback Mabrey Mettauer (The Woodlands, Texas) already committed to Wisconsin, the addition of Hornsby would give him a potential top target during his tenure with the Badgers.

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A Wisconsin WR/CB enters the transfer portal

A Wisconsin WR/CB enters the transfer portal

After three seasons as a member of the Badgers’ football team, Dean Engram announced Thursday that he is entering the transfer portal with two years of eligibility remaining.

Engram spent his first two years at Wisconsin playing cornerback while operating as a punt-return specialist. In 2022, he made the transition to wide receiver with his father, Bobby Engram, at offensive coordinator. The junior reeled in 13 catches for 152 yards while returning 24 punts for 132 yards over 13 games this season.

With Phil Longo replacing his dad as the offensive coordinator, it’s not particularly surprising that Engram has elected to potentially exit the program. Considering his experience on all three sides of the ball, Engram will likely be able to carve out a significant role at his next stop.

WATCH: New Wisconsin OC Phil Longo on how the offense will look

WATCH: New Wisconsin OC Phil Longo on how the offense will look

The Badgers have an almost entirely new coaching staff, headlined by head coach Luke Fickell. Since coming over from Cincinnati, the former Bearcat head coach has brought “his guys” to Madison on both sides of the ball.

One of those hires was offensive coordinator Phil Longo, who came to Wisconsin by way of North Carolina where he served as the Tar Heels’ offensive coordinator.

Longo is known for a very different style of offense than Wisconsin fans have become accustomed to seeing during the Barry Alvarez and beyond era. The Tar Heels ran a version of the “Air Raid” offense, but still mixed in a heavy dose of the running game.

Longo spoke earlier today on how Wisconsin’s offense could look. Courtesy of Wisconsin football, here is the new Badger offensive coordinator:

Report: Wisconsin has their next offensive coordinator and everything is about to change

The Badgers have their next offensive coordinator per reports

The next big question after Luke Fickell was hired as Wisconsin’s head coach? Where does the offense go from here under another defensive-minded leader. Well, according to a report from Bruce Feldman of The Athletic Wisconsin has their next offensive coordinator.

On Wednesday afternoon, Feldman reported that UNC offensive coordinator Phil Longo is leaving Chapel Hill to become the next Badgers OC. While the move is not official, it would mean a drastic change for a Wisconsin offense that has been built on running the football and offensive line play. Longo is a proponent of the air raid offense, a stark contrast to what the Badgers are known for.

He has had a ton of success at North Carolina and helped turn quarterback Drake Maye into one of the stars of college football in 2022. Here is a look at some reaction from the news and more on Longo:

Phil Longo, Gene Chizik connected to Charlotte opening?

Both Phil Longo and Gene Chizik have been connected to the Charlotte head coaching job by Bruce Feldman.

As the UNC football program wraps up its second bye week and preps for a big showdown against Pitt on Saturday, the spirits are high in Chapel Hill for the team. Especially on offense.

UNC’s offense has been among the best in the ACC so far, backed by quarterback Drake Maye. The quarterback has been fantastic so far, running Phil Longo’s Air Raid offense smoothly.

Longo has figured it out this year, pairing a good quarterback with his style of offense. However, could Longo catch the attention of programs that need a head coach? It’s possible and already he’s being connected to one job.

The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman wrote on Charlotte’s opening after firing Will Healy. And in the report, he suggests that Longo is among the group of assistants that is expected to be in the mix:

Longo was a finalist at UCF and has been an excellent hire for Mack Brown since coming back to Chapel Hill. Longo played a big role in QB Drake Maye’s fantastic debut season. UNC is No. 7 in the country in yards per play after finishing No. 6 last year and No. 3 the year before that. The guy knows how to move the ball and how to put up points.

In addition to Longo, defensive coordinator Gene Chizik was also mentioned as a candidate but is less likely:

Chizik won a national title as Auburn’s head coach and would be a steady leader. His defense has really struggled this year in his return to the college game, with the Heels ranking last in the ACC in defense. The 60-year-old is 38-38 all time as a head coach.

We are in the middle of a fun season so far in Chapel Hill and it’s no guarantee that either leave after this year. But UNC fans should probably get used to hearing Longo’s name pop up in coaching rumors.

 

5 things to watch for in UNC football vs Georgia State matchup

As North Carolina is set to hit the road against Georgia State, we take a look at a few key things you should know before you watch.

The North Carolina Tar Heels’ unblemished record is on the line this Saturday against Georgia State.

UNC has had a fruitful season start, with their offense clicking on all cylinders. This Saturday should look no different as they will travel to Atlanta to take on the 0-1 Panthers, a vital game for the team before their most challenging game on the schedule against Notre Dame in two weeks.

After escaping week two with a 63-61 win over Appalachian State, UNC will have a chance to work on their defense against a less offensive Panthers team. If North Carolina wants a shot against Notre Dame, they will need to fix their defense, making this week’s three match-up vital for the Tar Heels.

This game is the second time UNC will take on Georgia State in its program history, constraining the Panthers 59-17 last season. This game should have an identical outcome, with quarterback Drake Maye leading the charge for North Carolina.

Now with the narrative of cannot win on the road in the past, the only thing in UNC’s way of a dominating win is their shaky defense.

As UNC prepares to battle the Panthers, we look at five things to look out for in the Saturday matchup.

UNC Football: Phil Longo comments on Sam Howell ahead of NFL Draft

UNC offensive coordinator Phil Longo dishes on Sam Howell and the edge that he will bring to any NFL origination ahead of the 2022 NFL Draft.

With just a day before the 2022 NFL Draft, there are no more visits to take and no more workouts to be done. The final preparation for each NFL team is underway for the first round of the NFL Draft on Thursday.

Where UNC football quarterback [autotag]Sam Howell[/autotag] will fall is a mystery, but to this point a late first-round draft pick is not out of the question. Either way, he will hear his name called in the first two rounds.

So what will that organization be getting when they select the Tar Heels’ quarterback? Who better to dissect that than the guy who worked with him closer than anyone else over the last three years; Phil Longo.

The UNC offensive coordinator joined 247Sports podcast ‘The College Football Daily’ to discuss Howell and the man under the helmet.

Longo typically develops a quarterback certain ways, but that book was thrown out the window quickly after Howell stepped on campus. While he typically starts breaking down NFL film after his QB’s second season, he did that with Howell the first summer after his freshman year.

Sam was so elite mentally. When you have a quarterback obsessed with the game, you have a guy who’s top shelf… He’s made every throw on- and off-platform for three straight years.

Howell threw for 10,283 yards and 92 touchdowns during his three-year career at North Carolina. He also averaged 9.2 yards per attempt and completed 63.8 percent of his passes. He holds nearly every UNC passing record.

The North Carolina native also ranks third in ACC history with 92 career passing touchdowns and the most ever by a player in three or fewer seasons. He ranks fifth in touchdowns responsible for (111), eighth in total offense (11,292), fifth in passing yards (10,283), second in passing yards per game (277.9) and second in passing efficiency (164.2).

For his full comments, listen to the full show here.

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10 potential offensive coordinator candidates the Philadelphia Eagles should consider

Doug Pederson is expected to hire an offensive coordinator and Jim Caldwell is among 10 coach who the Eagles should target

The Philadelphia Eagles have started their staff retool after it was reported that both Rich Scangarello and Marty Mornhinweg would not return in their roles in 2021.

Jeff McLane is reporting that Press Taylor’s future with the Eagles is uncertain as well while dropping the news that Philadelphia will finally add an official offensive coordinator to the staff.

Here are 10 potential play-callers for Doug Pederson’s staff.