The story of Wisconsin’s offseason was turnover with the coaching staff and a reinvigoration of the program after a stagnant stretch of football. Nothing Athletic Director Chris McIntosh did this year will prove to be more impactful than the hire of Head Coach Luke Fickell, and subsequent hire of Offensive Coordinator Phil Longo.
But aside from the coaching staff, it was an offseason full of additions. Wisconsin went out into the transfer portal and re-made its quarterback room, bolstered its wide receiving core, added strength along the offensive line and helped out the depth on defense. The roster as a whole was already in a good place. The program’s moves in the portal could send the group to the next level.
Tom VanHaaren of ESPN recently ranked the top 50 newcomers to college football, whether that be true freshmen or high-profile transfers.
Leading the list is Colorado WR/CB Travis Hunter, the former No. 1 overall player in the class of 2022. He transferred from Jackson State to Colorado to follow Head Coach Deion Sanders.
The first quarterback mentioned is Notre Dame starter Sam Hartman. Badger fans should remember when he threw away the 2020 Duke’s Mayo Bowl when under center for Wake Forest.
The No. 19 overall addition and the No. 5 quarterback listed: Wisconsin’s Tanner Mordecai.
We ranked out the top-50 newcomers to college football. A mix of transfers and true freshman based on the impact they'll have on their team this season https://t.co/vyMCOBKszu
— Tom VanHaaren (@TomVH) August 11, 2023
Here’s what VanHaaren said about Wisconsin’s addition of the veteran signal-caller:
Wisconsin has a new staff in place with coach Luke Fickell and offensive coordinator Phil Longo, who will be moving to more of an Air Raid offense. Quarterbacks Graham Mertz and Chase Wolf both transferred, but the staff brought in Mordecai, Nick Evers from Oklahoma and Braedyn Locke from Mississippi State. Mordecai knows how to operate a pass-heavy offense and should fit in with what Longo wants at quarterback.