The Game Plan - Previewing the Badgers 2024 Quarterbacks

Finally, we're on to the quarterbacks in previewing the 2024 season. So here we are and we are Phil Longo walking cold into a quarterback room cold. All we have is film and our wits, and we are going to improve the Wisconsin quarterback room to make our team better for the 2024 season. As with the other positions this is the approach that we're going to take in previewing and then looking to improve this group is through fundamentals, execution, bringing it all together, and finding a tactical advantage with our new skills.

Phil Longo has a unique footwork style. Instead of taking the traditional steps where we move perpendicular to the line of scrimmage, we turn, shuffle back, or step back, Longo does it the old-school way: a straight drop back, almost like a backpedal into the routes. What I love about this, and what drew me to Longo as a coach early on, is the vision it provides. It allows quarterbacks to see the entire field and have a better ability to see their backside. Longo has three types of drops: the "Top Gun" drop (a quick one-step, get-rid-of-the-ball drop), a quick three-step drop, and a casual three-step drop (more timing-wise in tune with a five-step drop for longer, deeper routes). Longo allows his quarterbacks to choose which drop they prefer, as long as their footwork is in time with the receivers. While this open approach has benefits, it can lead to inconsistency.

From a fundamental point of view, it's simple yet effective. However, where Longo needs to improve is in giving his quarterbacks too much freedom to adjust their footwork based on their own tempo. So the fundamental change that I want to see is simply a return to the footwork that got Longo to where he is today. Last year, we didn't see much of Longo's dropback footwork. I want to see it more because his offense is tuned to that dropback style. We saw this with Tanner Moredcai last year where he would drop back using the shuffle lateral footwork many quarterbacks use, and he was either too quick or too slow to the top of his drop, completely changing the timing. I hope Tyler Van Dyke is more open to learning Longo's way and getting in tune from a fundamental point of view with how this offense works. This will bring things together more tightly.

Braedyn Locke is young enough that he could still have two years as a starter after this year. It's better for him to learn the correct footwork now and utilize it so he can be as successful as other quarterbacks who have used this footwork and reached the professional levels. From a fundamental point of view, Longo needs to be more stern and insist, "This is my footwork; we need to run it."

Better timing and utilization of footwork built into the offense will enhance decision-making by making top-of-the-route decisions clearer. In a true air raid sense, a quarterback isn't reading defenses; he's reading open space. Get to the top of the drop, and if the receiver is open, throw. If the footwork is off, it can change the answer to that question before it even gets there. Executing better fundamental footwork will enhance decision-making and make it more decisive.

Tyler Van Dyke is a down-the-field, in-the-pocket type of quarterback. Tanner Mordecai last year was more of an improviser, mover, and runner. We saw how much he took off last year, and while it was exciting to see him extend plays, many of those plays didn't need to be extended. Better footwork should lead to more decisive decisions in the passing game.

From a tactical point of view, we need to take advantage of having athletic quarterbacks. Tyler Van Dyke moves fine—above average, even. His numbers, tested by Brady Collins, show he's got some athleticism despite his traditional drop back QB build that maybe was underutilized at Miami. However, we don't need him to win with his feet; he needs to win with his arm. Braedyn Locke also needs to win with his arm. By de-emphasizing the quarterback run component, we can force defenders to cover the entire field in the running game as much as they do in the passing game.

To achieve this, we need to better utilize and be more comfortable with the RPO game this season. Last year we ran a bunch of RPOs, but Tanner didn't pull the trigger. When Tyler Van Dyke was under Josh Gattis at Miami, he was very comfortable with the RPO game, especially up the seams. By integrating the RPO game more effectively, we can open up opportunities in the run game and put defenses in conflicts of assignment, meaning no matter what a defense does, they're wrong.

Building the entire offense based on this will allow us to exploit defenders and improve our offense significantly. Tyler Van Dyke has to prove that he's still the quarterback he was as a freshman. He's faced the challenge of changing a quarterback coach or offensive coordinator every year, which can be incredibly disruptive. Additionally, dealing with a terrible offensive line has put him at a disadvantage. These factors have certainly affected his play.

It's important to recognize that his off years between his freshman year and now, if they happened at Wisconsin, would actually be considered pretty decent. When you compare his performance to previous quarterbacks we've had, like Alex Hornibrook, Joel Stave, Jack Coan, and Graham Mertz, there's not much of a difference. In fact, his stats and game management could be seen as on par or even better in some aspects.