SMU quarterback Tanner Mordecai announced on Friday that he is transferring to Wisconsin for his final season of eligibility in 2023. Mordecai has the year of eligibility remaining thanks to the blanket waiver granted by the NCAA as COVID-19 affected the 2020 college football season.
Mordecai started his career as a blue-chip recruit at Oklahoma under Lincoln Riley but transferred to SMU after losing the starting quarterback job to Spencer Rattler in 2020. Like Shane Buechele before him, Mordecai transformed his career on the Hilltop, completing more than 66% of his passes and ranking among the most productive quarterbacks in college football.
The Waco, Texas, native joins new Wisconsin coach Luke Fickell and offensive coordinator Phil Longo to lead a major revamp of the quarterback room in Madison. Mordecai threw for 7,152 yards and 72 touchdowns in an SMU uniform while leading the program to a 15-10 record under coaches Sonny Dykes and Rhett Lashlee.
Mordecai previously told reporters that he planned to enter the NFL Draft after the season. However, he is just the latest talented signal-caller to transfer to another destination in hope of elevating his draft stock for 2024 instead of entering as a potential late-round prospect. Notably, Wake Forest quarterback Sam Hartman opted to enter the transfer portal the ACC's all-time leading passing touchdown leader and is expected to land with Notre Dame.
With Mordecai out, SMU will turn to highly touted Class of 2021 recruit Preston Stone. The Dallas native completed 58% of his passes for 388 yards and two touchdowns before suffering a season-ending injury.
New era
Calling Mordecai a different type of quarterback than Wisconsin has seen in recent years is an understatement. Mordecai launched the ball all over the field during his career and built a strong relationship with All-American receiver Rashee Rice. He threw for substantially more yards in two seasons (7,152) than previous Wisconsin quarterback Graham Mertz threw in three (5,405).
Similarly, new offensive coordinator Phil Longo is one of the most aggressive offensive coordinators in football. His North Carolina team ranked No. 11 nationally in passing offense with star quarterback Drake Maye. Previous quarterback Sam Howell is also in the NFL after learning from Longo.
Fickell's offenses at Cincinnati were primarily plodding and ball control-oriented, but that appears to be built more out of personnel than philosophy. Expect the Badgers to get aggressive with Mordecai and Longo leading the way.
Cascading effects
Former Wisconsin coach Paul Chryst was largely fired due to poor quarterback and offensive production over his final two seasons in Madison. Immediately, Fickell has turned to the transfer portal to try and shore up the position long term.
In addition to Mordecai, the Badgers added former blue-chip quarterback Nick Evers -- ironically, also from Oklahoma. Class of 2023 quarterback Cole LaCrue stuck with the program as a recruit through the coaching change. The Badgers also bring back senior Chase Wolf for another year of eligibility, as well as promising freshman quarterback Myles Burkett.
While Mordecai should easily start for the Badgers in 2023, Fickell is not leaving the future of the quarterback position to chance. After a one-year stopgap, there will be multiple players in line to compete for the starting job.
