New quarterback Tanner Mordecai is set to lead Wisconsin and prove he’s ready for the NFL

MADISON – Tanner Mordecai believed his game was NFL-ready.

In his two seasons as SMU’s starting quarterback, Mordecai had passed for a total of 7,152 yards, 72 touchdowns and just 22 interceptions.

“I was about 90% sure I was going to put my name in the draft,” he said.

Then came the evaluations from the NFL.

“I got some feedback from scouts about where I’d be drafted,” he said, “and I wasn’t super fired up about the feedback.”

NFL scouts told Mordecai that although his numbers at SMU were impressive, they needed to see him perform against better competition.

Mordecai announced on Dec. 29 he was entering the transfer portal. Roughly 24 hours later he announced he was transferring to UW.

Talk about speed dating.

“It was an opportunity and fit I thought I shouldn’t pass up,” explained Mordecai, a sixth-year senior. “It allowed me to show what I have on a Power 5 playing field.”

Mordecai, tailback Braelon Allen and linebacker Maema Njongmeta are set to represent UW, along with head coach Luke Fickell, at the Big Ten preseason meetings on Thursday in Indianapolis.

Tanner Mordecai has impressed Wisconsin players and coaches

Mordecai ran UW’s No. 1 offense all spring and is set to open camp next month as the No. 1 quarterback, ahead of Braedyn Locke.

“From Day 1 that Tanner has been here he has acted like the starter,” said Phil Longo, UW’s offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach. “He has shown up … there is no ego. He is very humble. And there is no disrespect toward the other guys.

“He has been a starter for two years. He is a veteran and he carries himself that way. He has just shown natural leadership ability when he is out among our players.”

Mordecai was familiar with head coach Luke Fickell and Longo before visiting UW.

He faced Cincinnati twice at SMU and the Mustangs lost both meetings. Longo was at Ole Miss in 2017 when he recruited Mordecai out of Waco, Texas. Mordecai eventually signed with Oklahoma, stayed there for three years before transferring to SMU. Longo stayed at Ole Miss for two seasons before moving to North Carolina and then to UW.

“That is a big reason why I am here, to play under him,” Mordecai said of Longo. “He has a really successful offense and I knew him prior, coming out of high school. He was at Ole Miss and I was close to committing there. It is kind of crazy how it has come full circle.”

Fickell and Longo needed an experienced quarterback; Mordecai needed to prove he could flourish on a bigger stage against better defenses.

In 12 games last season, Mordecai completed 65.0% of his passes for 3,524 yards, with 33 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.

His numbers against the only three American Athletic Conference teams to finish in the top 50 nationally in scoring defense – Cincinnati, Tulane and Central Florida – weren't as gaudy.

Cincinnati finished the season No. 20 nationally in points allowed (20.6). Mordecai completed 15 of 25 attempts for 105 yards, with no touchdowns and no interceptions in a 29-27 loss. He was sacked five times and eventually left the game after suffering a concussion. He did not play the next week against Tulsa.

Tulane finished No. 33 nationally in points allowed (22.2). Mordecai completed 32 of 49 attempts for 298 yards, with two touchdowns and two interceptions. He was sacked three times in the 59-24 loss.

Central Florida finished the season No. 46 nationally in points allowed (23.6). Mordecai completed 28 of 45 attempts for 295 yards, with one interception. He was sacked once in the 41-19 loss.

His totals in those games: 232.7 passing yards per game with two touchdowns and three interceptions. He was sacked eight times.

Mordecai will have a new offensive coordinator at UW, more talented on offense and, barring a collapse, a better defense.

Badgers offensive coordinator Phil Longo raves about Tanner Mordecai's skills

Longo believes Mordecai, 6-foot-2 and 215 pounds, possesses the physical skills and mental makeup to lead UW in 2023.

“Tanner has a strong enough arm to make every throw on the field,” Longo said. “He can snap off all the quick ones. We call them automatics. We expect there to be a 100% completion with regard to our accuracy on the quick game – the slants, the hitches, all that stuff. And he is pretty automatic with that stuff.

“The intermediate stuff takes a little more focus because, obviously, and you’re going to do that under more duress because we’re holding the football (longer). He is really good there and he can really fit some things into tight windows.

“And I think he is going to be a really, really good deep-ball guy. … He has the ability to hit the posts and the corners and the fades. He is getting better as we go.

“I think he is much more athletic than people give him credit for. He can run the football. … I’m excited to see him in live action. He’s got the leadership part of it. He is an athlete. And I think every day that we practice he gets better executing the offense.”

Allen was among several UW players who were impressed by Mordecai’s skill level.

“He is fun to watch, definitely fun to play with,” Allen said. “You’ve all seen him scrambling around, making crazy plays with his legs. That is exciting to see.”

Although Mordecai had started a total of 24 games at SMU and was by far the most experienced quarterback on the UW roster when he joined the team last winter, he decided to tip-toe into his new home.

“He has done a phenomenal job,” Fickell said. “He has been everything I hoped for. He came in, kept his mouth shut. Went to work and proved a lot of things not just to me and the coaches but to the players.

“I think he has embraced the culture and the guys in that locker room. He hasn’t walked in and expected to be handed anything. He has done it in a humble way with an incredible work ethic.”

Now it is time for Mordecai to do it on the field, which is why he transferred to UW.

“Win championships,” he said when asked to articulate his goal in 2023.

A Big Ten championship or something bigger?

The latter.

“I firmly believe coach Fickell is going to win a national championship here,” he said.

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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: New Wisconsin quarterback Tanner Mordecai eager to become NFL ready