Wisconsin lands major transfer QB

Wisconsin made a big splash last month when they hired Luke Fickell, and the head coach may have already found his new starting quarterback.

Former SMU quarterback Tanner Mordecai plans to transfer to Wisconsin, according to Matt Zenitz of On3.

Mordecai threw 72 touchdown passes over the last two seasons at SMU. He was a finalist this year for the Davey O’Brien Award, which is given annually to the nation’s top quarterback.

After he was initially expected to declare for the NFL draft, Mordecai entered the transfer portal on Thursday night. This will be the second time he has transferred, as he spent the first three years of his college career at Oklahoma before joining the Mustangs.

One of Mordecai’s most memorable plays came during the 2021 season when he completed a last-second Hail Mary to lead SMU to a win over Louisiana Tech (video here).

Fickell faced Mordecai twice when Fickell was the head coach at Cincinnati. Mordecai threw for just 171 total yards in those two games, but Fickell obviously has not held that against him.