Dec. 7, 2022: In a splash move at the time, Luke Fickell targeted Phil Longo as his new offensive coordinator. Longo came to Wisconsin's staff from North Carolina, where he served as the program’s offensive coordinator since 2019.

Longo, who also had stops at Ole Miss and Sam Houston State prior to North Carolina, replaced Bobby Engram, who served as coordinator and quarterbacks coach for the Badgers in 2022.

Out with the old (pro-style), in with the new (air raid)...

“The words ‘Air Raid’ kind of create a poor perception of what we want to do offensively,” Longo said in his introductory press conference. “We’re going to be more diverse maybe than we’ve been here, and we want to throw the ball more effectively and maybe even more (repetition) wise than we’ve done, but you want to be more effective at both.”

Longo immediately revamped the quarterback room with portal commitments from Nick Evers, who appeared to be the future at the position, and Tanner Mordecai, who was brought in to be the immediate starter. Braedyn Locke was a surprise a bit later in the process, though he ended up starting the most games of the three.

Dec. 17, 2022: Wisconsin lands Oklahoma transfer Nick Evers

Dec. 30, 2022: Wisconsin lands SMU transfer Tanner Mordecai

Jan. 10, 2023: Wisconsin lands Mississippi State transfer Braedyn Locke

“I felt like there were two types of kids in the portal out of the ones I felt could play at a high enough level to be what we were looking for," Longo said. "Out of the guys we liked, we were either going to get a one-year guy that had been starting and had been established, and some were better than others, or you’re going to get a guy who has college experience and been through the college program. They know how to train, they know what the college schedule is like, they know how to practice, they are used to the speed of the game. They obviously signed because they are talented, but an individual situation led them to go in the portal and entertain other options.

“That’s the category Nick and Braedyn were in. Tanner was in the category of the veteran starter with a lot of experience and a lot of success, but only one year left. Tanner represents a more immediate need that we have there, and Nick and Braedyn represent talented quarterbacks who have enough eligibility that we can develop them and groom them to compete for the job for Wisconsin’s future.”

Dec. 11, 2022: Longo signed off on three-star quarterback Cole LaCrue, who was previously committed to interim head coach Jim Leonhard and coordinator Bobby Engram.

"Coach Fickell said it’s going to be Coach Longo's Air Raid offense with a little Wisconsin twist," LaCrue told BadgerBlitz.com. "But it’s time to move on to a new era. It was good to get all that feedback from them."

Dec. 24, 2022: Longo kept the recruiting momentum going with a commitment from four-star Mabrey Mettauer, a top target dating back to his time at North Carolina.

“Honestly, I’ve built a relationship with Coach Longo for about a year and a half now," Mettauer said. "He’s had faith in me since Day 1 before I was even a proven product, so definitely that’s an awesome thing,” Mettauer said. “Having Coach Fickell move over from Cincinnati and then with Coach (Gino) Guidugli, the quarterback coach at Cincinnati moved over there, too. He offered me at Cincinnati, so I feel like I’m welcomed from every coaching position and the whole coaching staff.”

April, 13 2023: One of the most quotable messages of the Longo era: "Knowledge equals reps." This was associated with Nick Evers, who never seemed to grasp Wisconsin's playbook.

“On my board, it says ‘knowledge equals reps,’’’ Longo said plainly. “What he’s working on right now, and we just met one-on-one yesterday, is getting to a point where he understands what’s going on out there in the pass game from a protection standpoint. In the run game, when do we change some things or make a check or throw an RPO…those types of things he’s still on the learning curve with, and that’s why he’s had fewer reps.”

This quote also applied to Locke, who was often applauded for his film study and knowledge of the offense.

May 14, 2023: Wisconsin offered Landyn Locke, 6-foot-4 and 185 pounds, in May of 2023. The junior from Texas visited Madison for a week in June and announced his commitment shortly after. Miami, SMU, Tulsa and Western Kentucky also extended scholarships during the course of his recruitment.

"Coach Longo watched Landyn and offered him in the spring," Rockwall head coach Trey Brooks told BadgerBlitz.com. "He's had a ton of conversations with him over the phone and being familiar with the family doesn't hurt anything. But it doesn't take very long to see that ability on the field. It's really special when you watch him throw the ball. Having conversations and talking football with him, you can tell Landyn is as sharp as they come. Those things combined probably made him a top target for Coach Longo.

"Just talking to him after he visited, just the personal connection he made with Coach Longo and Coach (Luke) Fickell, those were huge. I asked him what the best part of the trip was and he said the time sitting down with those two and talking football with them. Having his brother in the room also didn't hurt, but that was his favorite part. Spending time with the coaches who are going to work with him and the connection he made put Wisconsin on top."

Longo centered in on Locke largely because of his relationship with the family. At the time, Landyn had limited film and playing experience at the varsity level.

Oct. 14, 2023: Starting quarterback Tanner Mordecai left the Iowa game late in the second quarter with a hand injury. The Badgers were 4-1 at the time.

“I don’t know. It doesn’t look good, for a little while. He couldn’t grip the ball,” Fickell told reporters after the game. “So we’ll have to make sure we find out what the deal is tomorrow and see how long that may last.”

Mordecai would go on to miss three games before returning (though still limited) against Northwestern. He then led Wisconsin to wins over Nebraska and Minnesota.

Dec 12, 2023: For the second year in a row, Longo used to the portal to secure his starting quarterback.

After the Badgers added veteran signal caller Tanner Mordecai roughly one year ago, UW went back into the portal again and secured a commitment from Tyler Van Dyke. A three-year starter at Miami, Van Dyke visited Madison officially in December of 2023.

Coming out of high school, Van Dyke, 6-foot-4 and 230 pounds, was a top priority for former UW coaches Paul Chryst and Jon Budmayr in the 2020 recruiting class. He chose Miami over 20-plus other offers, a group that also included Michigan, Michigan State, North Carolina State, Oklahoma State, UCLA and Vanderbilt, among others.

Jan 7, 2024: Offensive line coach Jack Bicknell Jr. was removed from his position on Wisconsin's staff.

Bicknell spent just one season with Wisconsin after coming over from North Carolina with Longo as part of Fickell's first coaching staff. At time time, there were plenty of rumblings about Bicknell's philosophy and approach and how it failed to connect with his players.

Bicknell was not with the program in 2024.

May 1, 2023: Former walk-on Marshall Howe entered the portal. He eventually landed at Yale.

Jan 9, 2024: Former in-state standout Myles Burkett entered the portal. He eventually landed at Albany.

April 13, 2024: Nick Evers entered the portal and eventually committed to UConn. The former four-star prospect was taking third-team reps (at best) during his time with the Badgers.

July 27, 2024: Wisconsin was the first Power 4 offer four Jarin Mock in May of 2024. A few weeks later, the Badgers landed the three-star signal caller from Ohio.

"Coach Longo thinks that I'm a good fit because of what I can do with my arm and how I'm able to do the RPOs," Mock told BadgerBlitz.com. "They think I fit in real well with their offense."

This was the second time in as many cycles (2025 and 2026) where Longo targeted a rather lightly-recruited quarterback and secured his commitment soon after.

"Longo is my guy no feelings really just getting ready for my game Friday,” Mock told Rivals.com on Sunday evening.

I asked the Ohio native if this news impacted his recruitment:

“Not at this time. I was comfortable with Longo but I still love Madison.”

Aug 14, 2024: It was an open competition - at least from the mouths of the coaching staff - for all of spring and much of fall camp. But Van Dyke eventually beat out Locke for Wisconsin's starting job.

Throughout camp, Longo praised Locke's knowledge of the offense and often referred to his quarterbacks as 1A and 1B.

"We have named Tyler Van Dyke our starter. I will tell you that Braedyn Locke, last year it was Tanner Mordecai and our number two was Braedyn Locke. This year, it's Tyler Van Dyke and we really see Braedyn Locke, I've mentioned to you in the past how much better he's gotten this year. As Fick says, we kinda see it as a 1A, 1B situation right now as opposed to a one and a two. That's how well Braedyn has done here in camp. But as of right now, Tyler Van Dyke is our starter."

Sept. 14, 2024 - Wisconsin quarterback Tyler Van Dyke suffered a torn ACL during a 42-10 loss to the Alabama Crimson Tide and was lost for the remainder of the season.

Locke played the remainder of Saturday’s game after Van Dyke’s departure and has been Wisconsin’s starting quarterback since. True freshman Mabrey Mettauer has been listed as the backup.

“I think I obviously learned a lot last year, just dealing with that scenario already before," Locke said after the loss to Alabama. “I think just the experience helps, even though it was only 3.5 games. I think that it helps you as a player. It helped me today. We didn’t get the result we wanted obviously, but I've learned how to prepare as a starter in the last two years being here.”

For the second year in a row, Longo lost his starting quarterback for a good chunk of time.

Sept. 9, 2024: Longo's second most quotable line came in September when he told reporters “I’m here to please Coach Fickell.”

Those six words provided plenty of opportunities to read between the lines. And with Sunday's news, it could certainly be perceived as condescending or even arrogant in the moment. For much of the 2024 season, it appeared Longo was not running the full version of his offense for a variety of reasons.

Nov. 16, 2024: Wisconsin lost a heartbreaker to No. 1 Oregon, 16-13, at Camp Randall Stadium.

Locke's stat line: 12 of 26 for 96 yards, with one touchdown and one interception.

Longo's stat line: 226 yards of total offense.

This proved to be the dagger in the eyes of Fickell.

In 2023, Wisconsin averaged 23.5 points per game, a historically low clip for the program.

In 2024 (10 games), Longo's offense is averaging just 23.9 points per gam, good for No. 97 in the country.

Nov. 17, 2024: Wisconsin offensive coordinator Phil Longo has been fired, according to a statement released by the program on Sunday evening.

"This morning, I informed Phil Longo that he will no longer serve as our offensive coordinator," coach Luke Fickell said in an official statement.

"After continuing to evaluate the program, I decided we are not where we need to be and believe this decision is in the best interest of the team. I appreciate Phil's commitment to helping us build our program over the past two seasons and wish him well moving forward. This team still has a lot in front of us and I am committed to doing everything we can to close out this season with success."

Longo's tenure in Madison lasted just 23 games. The Badgers scored just 33 total points over their last three contests.

Interestingly enough, the Badgers hosted 2026 quarterback Carter Smith for an official visit this weekend. Locke and Mock were also on campus, as well as Peyton Falzone, who picked up an offer from the Badgers. The future for all four as it relates to Wisconsin is now up in the air.

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