Wisconsin offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Phil Longo met with the media Monday afternoon during the Badgers' local media day. The second-year coach touched on a variety of topics, including the quarterback battle in Madison, expectations in year two, his young offensive players and more.

BadgerBlitz.com has compiled five of the key takeaways below:

We witnessed a true quarterback battle unfold this spring, with returnee Braedyn Locke engaged in a razor-thin competition with Miami (FL) transfer Tyler Van Dyke. The two put on a show in spring practice, trading blows and displaying their unique traits. Van Dyke seemed to gain a slight lead towards the end of April, but Longo maintains it's still open season on the QB1 job in Madison.

"It's a competition. These guys are battling right now, and I think the advantage that Braedyn has is he has a year under his belt, and a huge working knowledge. He's twice the player that he was last year, I just said that in the staff meeting the other day. He's vastly improved the things he needed to do last year, and I'm excited about watching him in camp. Tyler went through the same learning curve that Tanner Mordecai and Braedyn went through last year. The difference is we have so many players in these rooms that know everything, and so the learning curve this year for the new guys is not what it was last year. I mean we still had coaches learning. I didn't know where the restroom was until April," Longo said.

Locke certainly has the inside track in terms of knowledge of Longo's offense, but Van Dyke has dealt with coordinator change after coordinator change in his career as well. Learning a new system is old news for the ex-Hurricane.

Another aspect of the battle that Longo highlighted was the two gunslingers' different styles and approaches to playing quarterback.

"They're battling, and Braedyn is a savant. He's really really intelligent. Reminds me a lot of when I worked with Sam Howell. I can't keep him out of the office, he studies everything, he's obsessed with it. He's able to answer problems on the field and get people in the right place. He's top shelf when it comes to that stuff. And on the other end, that's forcing Tyler to really be on point here from a mental standpoint. Braedyn has made Tyler better because they compete professionally every day. And on the other end of it, Tyler's got a big arm. Tyler has a huge arm. Tyler probably can fit some things in triggering a little later than Braedyn can. Braedyn can make all the throws; Tyler could probably be a little late on something and fit it in a window because of the arm talent he has."

If you thought Van Dyke as the starter was a foregone conclusion, think again. This will be a battle to the finish line.

When asked what the offense's biggest area of improvement is from last year to now, Longo highlighted the receiver room. This is a unit that, in year one of the air raid in Madison, significantly underwhelmed. Outside receivers couldn't get consistent separation and drops were an issue at times as well. Now under new direction in new receivers coach Kenny Guiton, Longo likes where his pass-catchers stand ahead of fall camp.

"There's a lot of continuity and mojo in the receiver room right now. Coach Guiton has done a great job embracing what we do, and we're just rolling right now. I think the guys that are returning, that have played here already, thanks to Brady Collins and his team are just better athletic, physical products than they were last year. Whatever game Will Pauling played his best game, he's better now, because he's stronger, he's more physical and he's more durable now. I think you'll see that from top to bottom on the roster. That's always an advancement; to have these guys coming back, but they're better versions of themselves."

This was an answer centered on receivers, but it stands to reason that the same philosophy could be applied to every position group on the team. With another year in Collins' strength program, the returnees on the roster should in theory be, as Longo put it, better versions of themselves.

As mentioned above, Wisconsin's outside receivers last season couldn't make much of an impact. There was a lack of playmaking ability, and neither a consistent deep threat nor jump-ball player could emerge at the X or Z.

Enter Joseph Griffin Jr, a transfer from Boston College. Listed at 6-foot-4, he possesses the exact frame Wisconsin needs from an outside receiver. The past two seasons with the Eagles, he displayed excellent hands and big-play ability.

"He's a long, rangy receiver. We thought he ran well, but he's run very well since he's been here. The first time he's in pads will be camp. I think everybody tends to look really good until you put the helmet and shoulder pads on, and then things start to separate a little bit," Longo said. "I know coach Guiton is excited about suiting him up, and we'll push the ball to him in certain practices to see how he handles that. And he's still in the learning phase a little bit because he got here so late, but we are definitely happy to have him on the roster."

Griffin has somewhat flown under the radar in Wisconsin's receiver room. He was a spring transfer, which tends to be the less talked-about portal window, and he has yet to practice with the Badgers. Still, keep an eye on the imposing receiver this fall camp and into the start of the season.

It goes without saying that Wisconsin's offense fell vastly short of both internal and external expectations in year one of Longo's system. In his trademark detailed-yet-laid-back delivery, Longo stressed that he believes the offense is progressing for a variety of reasons, including more familiarity and stronger leadership.

"We went through some ups and downs, and we had some obstacles to overcome. Matter of fact I was just talking to coach upstairs earlier; we have a foundation now...I'm as excited as you are. I think everybody in the room here will probably tell us if we're doing well enough once we get started this season. But if you can't tell I'm excited about the season, you're not listening to me, because I am," he said.

"I really like the mojo we have as an offensive staff right now. I like where we are from a player standpoint. I think we've got a good shot to maybe expand and build on the leadership piece of this whole thing offensively. And just being deeper in the rooms. What happened last year, we weren't in position to absorb that quite as well as we are now."

From an analytical perspective, this offense may not be quite where Longo wants it personnel-wise just yet. Still, the coordinator makes some valid points about another year marinating in his system better preparing players to face adversity, be it injury or otherwise.

Another reason year one was such a struggle for Longo's offense is that many of the players he had to work with simply didn't match his scheme. That's not necessarily anyone's fault; it's simply the byproduct of a complete philosophical overhaul.

Now, Longo's fingerprints are all over Wisconsin's last two recruiting classes, and those players are beginning to develop into potential contributors. The coordinator spoke on what it's like integrating those high school products into his offensive system.

"Those guys get used to Brady's training, which is a huge learning curve. And he does a great job of assimilating them in; he doesn't even train them with the veterans yet until they're prepared for it. But (the early enrollees) are here earlier, obviously. But you can't penalize a player because his high school doesn't let him graduate mid-year. We have a number of guys that, based on their circumstance, came in in June. Some really talented players."

Longo also talked about what it's like working those young players into his offensive system, which can be head-spinning for a true freshman.

"Effectively, you would think we wanna get a lot done with those guys in the beginning of camp. To try to speed them up and get them to the point where they can just go out and compete. Right now, they're thinking and then they're competing. Whereas the guys that showed up in January are just lining up, getting the signal and rolling...We've got a plan for all of them in each room to try to get them to a point where they can show us what they can do athletically so we can make some decisions with regards to who's in the rotation heading into the opening game and who's not."

_________________________________________________

*Chat about this article in The Badgers' Den

*Check out our videos, interviews, and Q&As on our YouTube channel

*Subscribe and listen to the BadgerBlitz.com podcast (as seen on Apple, Google, Spotify and wherever you listen to podcasts)

*Follow us on Twitter: @McNamaraRivals, @TheBadgerNation, @RaulV45, @seamus_rohrer, @DonnieSlusher_

*Like us on Facebook