Luke Fickell has targeted Phil Longo as his offensive coordinator, according to a report from Bruce Fieldman.

Longo comes 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, will replace Bobby Engram, who served as coordinator and quarterbacks coach for the Badgers in 2022.

Wisconsin's offense is expected to look much different in 2023. This fall, Longo oversaw Drake Maye, who passed 4,115 pass yards and 35 touchdowns as a first-time starter. Maye was recently named the ACC Player of the Year.

Longo's offense at North Carolina ranked 15th in the country with 473.6 yards per game and ninth with 317.2 passing yards per game in 2022. Wisconsin ranked 91st (362.8 yards) and 112th (189.5 yards), respectively, in comparison.

In 2021, the Tar Heels posted 35.2 points per game (19th NCAA) and 468.2 yards per game (10th NCAA), while leading the ACC in rushing yards with 2,763.

A New Jersey native, Longo inherits a position group that has just two scholarship players on the current roster - Myles Burkett and Chase Wolf. The latter, a fifth-year senior, is not expected to come back next season. UW is expected to sign Cole LaCrue in the 2023 class later this month. Multi-year starter Graham Mertz announced his intentions to enter the transfer portal on Sunday.

According to another report from Feldman, Tar Heels' offensive line coach Jack Bicknell Jr. is also expected to join the Badgers. Bicknell Jr. takes over for Bob Bostad, who recently accepted a position at Indiana. In the 2023 class, UW has a commitment from four-star James Durand.

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