New head coach Luke Fickell and offensive coordinator Phil Longo assured Mabrey Mettauer that his offer from Wisconsin was still in place just over one week ago.
On Christmas Eve, the four-star signal caller from Texas added his name to UW's 2024 commit list.
After Mettauer cut his list down to three schools, the Rivals250 quarterback prospect announced that Madison would be his next home Saturday afternoon.
“It was Kansas State, North Carolina and Wisconsin,” Mettauer, who racked up no less than 25 offers during his recruitment, told BadgerBlitz.com.
Being previously recruited by Fickell and Longo at their prior schools - Cincinnati and North Carolina, respectively - the relationships Mettauer developed proved to be the difference.
“Honestly, I’ve built a relationship with Coach Longo for about a year and a half now. 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.”
Longo is bringing the Air Raid offense to Wisconsin, also a major factor in Mettauer becoming a Badger. Known for his dual-threat ability, the 6-foot-6, 220-pound junior feels comfortable in this type of scheme.
“It was pretty big because he brought his offense from North Carolina to Wisconsin, which is a big deal for me because I love his run-to-pass ratio,” Mettauer said. “I like to do a little bit of both but mainly pass. Getting a few runs in a game is pretty sweet, too.”
Hailing from The Woodlands High School in Texas, Mettauer's commit to Wisconsin will take him far from home. But he’s leaned on his older brother, McKade Mettauer, an offensive lineman at Oklahoma, and his faith to guide him in this next chapter of his life.
“It’s definitely going to be different. My brother did it when he was around my age, so I’ve just been praying about it and that’s where God has led me,” Mettauer said. “I just think it’s going to be a journey and the next chapter in my life I’m excited for, but I’ll see how it goes.”
Fickell seems to have major confidence in Mettauer, who told BadgerBlitz.com that he will be involved in conversations surrounding other recruits. Not only that, but Fickell and staff will listen to names Mettauer wants to come to Wisconsin.
“The coaches are going to send me people who they would want, and then I’ll just pick and choose from them," Mettauer said. "Or if I’m like, “Hey, I want this kid to play with me.' They said I could give some names for who I want."
The 12th ranked pro-style quarterback by Rivals.com, Mettauer has every reason to be confident in his abilities. Having felt like now was the right time to commit, he believes Badgers fans should expect “that missing piece that the program has been missing for a while.”
“I kind of wanted to wait a little longer, but it just felt like it was the right time to commit somewhere. I felt like I chose the right spot and prayed about it for a long time and God led me to this path. I’m super excited about it,” Mettauer said. “I’ll definitely bring a dual-threat skillset, run and pass. I feel like I’ll bring that missing piece that the program has been missing for a while.”
Mettauer, commit No. 2 for the Badgers in the 2024 class, is expected to visit Wisconsin again in January. This fall, Mettauer completed 157 of 236 (66.5%) passing attempts for 2,621 yards and 32 touchdowns and just six interceptions. He also rushed 84 times for 613 yards and nine scores.
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