MADISON — Wisconsin's quarterback room is in the midst of a competition not seen in several years. For the past three seasons, with Graham Mertz as the undisputed starter, there was little contention within the program at the most important position on the field.

Those days are long gone, as Wisconsin's new regime brought in three transfer quarterbacks and has already reeled in a big 2024 recruit in Mabrey Mettauer. For the foreseeable future, the Badgers are primed for intense competition in their quarterback room.

That group is led by one of the premier offensive coordinators in the country in Phil Longo. Longo has developed gunslingers such as Sam Howell and Drake Maye, and he has a proven formula for how he orchestrates his quarterback competitions.

“On my board, it says ‘knowledge equals reps.’ And, I’ve learned the hard way, just as a coach, putting the best athlete out there or just the strongest arm out there slows the production of the offense, particularly when you’re installing it for the first time," he said.

"Once they get here, they’re not getting on the field, they’re not repping if they don’t know the job."

Longo clearly seeks a passer whose mind is as strong as his arm. SMU transfer Tanner Mordecai has taken every snap with the first team in the Badgers' spring sessions. Regardless, the battle for each ensuing spot has been hotly contested.

Here's how each Badger quarterback is approaching the competition this spring.

Marshall Howe is the lone walk-on quarterback on Wisconsin's roster. At first glance, with the other names in his position group, Howe would come in dead last on the depth chart. That hasn't necessarily been the case so far this spring. In fact, Longo likes what he's seen from him enough to proclaim him the current QB3.

“Right now, the third guy on the depth chart today would be Marshall Howe," Longo told reporters.

Now, it's fair to take that statement with a grain of salt, considering we're just over halfway through spring practices and the season doesn't start for another four-and-a-half months. Regardless, it speaks to the job Howe has done of learning Longo's system and applying himself off the field. Howe, unsurprisingly, is elated to work with Longo.

“It’s really exciting for me. Coach Longo obviously has so many quarterbacks that he’s developed in the past, especially in the past six to eight years, that have had immediate success in college and beyond. So just knowing that he’s been able to have that success with other guys is exciting for me," he said. "You know you’re learning from the best, and it’s exciting to go to work every day.”

Still, with the sheer amount of high-profile quarterbacks he shares a room with and no clear path to playing time, it's fair to wonder how the walk-on has been going about his business this spring.

“You know, personally, I’ve just been looking at it as an opportunity," he said. "Every day you come to the facility and you know you’re going to get everyone’s best, and that’s an exciting opportunity for me...There’s nothing better than trying to prove yourself to guys that are really talented among the best in the country.”

Some viewed Myles Burkett as the odd man out for Wisconsin. The other three scholarship quarterbacks just transferred in; they aren't going anywhere. Howe, meanwhile, is a walk-on, so his presence doesn't dent the Badgers' scholarship count that they'll have to trim at some point before the season starts. Nevertheless, Burkett is confident that his in-game experience will help set him apart.

"I mean, I’ve played in games in front of 80,000 people," he told BadgerBlitz.com. "That’s something that you can’t recreate in practice, that you can’t really just teach someone. I think that’s something that carries weight internally, when it’s my time, I’ll be ready — I’ve already been there before.”

Burkett appeared in some mop-up duty early last season. He played in two games, completing four passes against New Mexico State in the midst of a blowout. He's been neck-and-neck with Howe and Nick Evers for the third quarterback spot so far this spring. He hasn't settled into any prescribed role as a backup, however.

“I mean, I’m still trying to be a starting quarterback here," he said. "I think that’s been made clear by Coach Longo is, you gotta do certain things, you gotta play at a certain level to achieve that. So I push myself to critique my game little by little, to try to be a perfectionist at it, but at the end of the day I’m still trying to be a starting quarterback here and I’m gonna do everything I can to do that.”

Burkett is in a tough spot after there were points in the fall of 2022 where it very much looked like he could be the heir apparent to Graham Mertz. When he committed, Wisconsin wasn't in the business of stockpiling elite talent at quarterback to battle it out. He now has to contend with three transfers that are bigger names than him. Despite the circumstances, Burkett has taken his newfound situation in stride.

"I have respect for them, obviously, because of what they’re able to accomplish. I think that’s the one thing you see at this level is, there’s mutual respect because it’s so hard to get here," he said. "It’s so hard to play this position at this level. We have mutual respect…no animosity, no ill will.”

Evers was the first high-profile transfer to land with Wisconsin this offseason, and therefore he's understandably been a hot topic since the moment he stepped on campus. Evers' signature trait is his dazzling athleticism, most notably his rocket arm and top-end speed. Longo praised the Oklahoma transfer as potentially the best athlete in the quarterback room.

Despite his clear and obvious talent, Evers has struggled with learning the intricacies of Longo's complex scheme. His failure to completely grasp the offense has resulted in him taking limited reps throughout much of spring practice. Evers, though, is well aware of where he needs to improve.

“Adjusting to the scheme and adjusting to the play-style is probably the biggest hurdle right now," he said. "But I’m getting it down, just taking it day by day, just trying to stack days. Big emphasis on constant improvement, day by day, knowing that you’re getting better, retaining information from the previous day.”

For Evers, Longo's offense is a blessing and a curse. It's been difficult to grasp for the young gunslinger, but he also knows that Longo's potential to develop him is off the charts.

“I’ve learned a lot about just the game in general ever since I came here. Longo’s a really good OC, and he’s really focused on the development of quarterbacks," Evers said. "He’s really made a big impact on me, just understanding defenses, understanding different schemes, stuff like that. So I’ve seen a drastic improvement on that aspect of football, and he’s also taught me things on how to lead a team for the future.”

Evers is also appreciative of the quarterback room he partially helped construct, by being the first transfer to commit to the Badgers.

"In the quarterback room, we’ve got a great group of guys that push each other every single day, striving to be better. It’s a really healthy environment to be in. With all these exciting times going on, our team is really amped up about everything, and the bond we’ve created on and off the field is something I haven’t really been a part of.”

At the onset of spring practices, Braedyn Locke taking second-team reps came as a major surprise. A few weeks in, after having listened to his teammates rave about his football IQ and intelligence within the offense, it's no longer surprising whatsoever.

Longo recruited Locke in the 2021 cycle when he was at North Carolina. Locke ended up choosing Mississippi State, where he played under the late Mike Leach's pass-heavy air-raid. The similarities between the two coordinators' systems has helped Locke tremendously in spring ball.

“Just coming in, there was a familiarity with the scheme that we were going to be running and the passing game in particular because of my background at Mississippi State," he said. "It’s a lot of the same things philosophically and so that’s what’s really helped me transition.”

Locke's arm talent doesn't jump out at you, and neither does his athletic profile. He'll be the first to admit that. But the mental aspect of his game, on top of the uncanny accuracy he's displayed at times this spring, have him firmly in position for the number two spot.

"My mind has always been my edge in this game; I’ve never been a fast guy, I’ve never been a big guy, so that’s gonna be what elevates me and that’s gonna be what separates me and I take a lot of pride in that," he told BadgerBlitz.com.

Locke appears set up well to back up Mordecai this season and potentially take the reins after that. So far, he's one of the biggest winners this spring.

Mordecai, as mentioned, has been the presumed starter ever since he transferred in. That notion hasn't changed this spring, as he has a stranglehold on the top quarterback spot.

Mordecai is essentially a known entity for Wisconsin. He thrives in a pass-happy offense, and he has the numbers and pedigree to back that up. He's come in and established himself as a leader immediately for the Badgers, with help from some of the elder statesmen in the locker room.

“January, I came in, I didn’t know a whole lot about the guys, the locker room, the culture. I think that’s a good time to let the guys show me a little bit, show me how things are done, how traditions are done," he said. "Once I understand that and I gain their respect and trust and because of my work ethic and how much winning means to me, then I can start to lead."

Countless players reporters have spoken to have singled him out as a natural leader, in the locker room as well as on and off the field. Mordecai is grateful for how warm of a reception he's gotten.

"I’m proud of that. I’m proud that those guys would call me a leader, since I haven’t been here long," he said. "I think they understand my work ethic, how much this game, culture, winning matters to me.”

Mordecai doesn't have much to earn as far as jobs go. He's clearly separated himself as the top quarterback. He does, however, need to build chemistry with a new group of receivers, and quickly.

“It’s been fun. Like I was saying earlier, it takes reps, repetition, it doesn’t just come overnight," he said of building a connection with his pass-catchers. "Over the winter, the hours that we spent here, throwing, getting to know each other on the football level. And then through spring practice, through eight practices, kinda where we started day one and where we are now, as far as having continuity together, we’re definitely growing in the right direction.”

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