A number of schools likely had Mabrey Mettauer, a four-star quarterback, atop their 2024 recruiting board.

North Carolina and Wisconsin, in particular, made the Rivals250 signal caller a foremost priority dating back to the summer. So when Phil Longo moved from the Tar Heels to the Badgers earlier this month, it proved to be a deciding factor when Mettauer announced his commitment to UW on Saturday.

"From Day 1 that I’ve talked to Coach Longo, he’s talked about Mabrey and how he’s perfect for what he does," Jim Rapp, the head coach at The Woodlands High School in Texas, told BadgerBlitz.com. "If you find a guy that you really like with those tools, you go after him. That relationship has been going on for over a year and I know that was very important to Mabrey. Coach Longo being at Wisconsin really added to the appeal there.

"Coach Longo recruited Eric Schmid from our school when he was at Sam Houston State. He has guys that he identifies early and really likes, and Mabrey certainly fits that. He has a big arm and he’s mobile, and that fits very well in what they plan on doing at Wisconsin."