MADISON, Wis. — Quarterback Jarin Mock, the first committed prospect in Wisconsin’s 2026 recruiting class, will no longer be a part of the program after the staff determined he wouldn’t be a good fit amid the transition to new offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes. Wisconsin informed Mock and his family of the decision on Tuesday, Mock’s father, Andree, told The Athletic.
Jarin committed to former offensive coordinator Phil Longo in July. Andree said Jarin attended Wisconsin’s 16-13 loss to No. 1 Oregon on Nov. 16, which came one day before Badgers coach Luke Fickell fired Longo. When the family learned of the news that Sunday, Andree said he texted Longo but otherwise had not heard from anyone within Wisconsin’s program until the family received a phone call Tuesday.
“I texted a couple of coaches with no answer,” Andree said. “So my thing with life is usually when somebody’s not answering your phone calls, they’re probably not interested in talking to you. But I thought that was kind of weird to have that mindset when we were committed to the University of Wisconsin, not necessarily to Longo.
“I just wish it was a better line of communication. The fact that we kind of shut down all of our communication with other universities and recruiters because we were trying to honor our commitment with Wisconsin, it kind of leaves us at a disadvantage. But we still have a whole other year of football left, so it’s not like we’re up against the clock to be at a university going into the spring or this summer.”
Mock’s departure is notable because it wipes the slate clean from every scholarship quarterback linked to Longo during his two-year stint at Wisconsin.
The Badgers brought in three transfer portal quarterbacks in the first offseason under Longo and Fickell with Tanner Mordecai, Braedyn Locke and Nick Evers. Longo signed four-star 2024 quarterback Mabrey Mettauer and added transfer Tyler Van Dyke last season. He generated commitments in the 2025 class from Braedyn’s younger brother, Landyn Locke, and in the 2026 class from Mock.
None of those quarterbacks remain. Mordecai used his final year of eligibility during an underwhelming 2023 season. Evers entered the transfer portal in the middle of practices last spring when he dropped behind Mettauer on the depth chart and went to UConn. Van Dyke, Braedyn Locke and Mettauer all entered the portal last month, joining former Badgers quarterback Cole LaCrue.
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Van Dyke suffered a season-ending torn ACL in his right knee during the third game against Alabama. He retained that year of eligibility but there were no guarantees he would be healthy enough to help Wisconsin next season. Locke, who signed with Wisconsin because of his relationship with Longo, struggled as Van Dyke’s replacement and went 4-8 as a starter over two seasons. Mettauer, the final transfer portal departure from the quarterback room, left after Grimes was hired over uncertainty about how he would fit into a new approach.
Van Dyke signed with SMU, Braedyn Locke with Arizona and Mettauer with Sam Houston, where he’ll reunite with Longo, who is now the head coach there. Landyn Locke signed with Wisconsin last month but was released from that commitment and also joined Longo at Sam Houston. Wisconsin will enter next season with three new scholarship quarterbacks on the roster, each of whom pledged to the Badgers after Longo was fired: redshirt senior Maryland transfer Billy Edwards Jr., sophomore San Diego State transfer Danny O’Neil and incoming freshman Carter Smith.
Longo’s tenure created initial excitement because of the transition at Wisconsin to an up-tempo air raid system but will be remembered for what it didn’t achieve. Wisconsin’s scoring offense last season of 22.6 points per game tied for 108th nationally and was only slightly better than the 22.5 points per game the Badgers averaged in Year 1 under Longo. Those represent the two worst seasons for Wisconsin consecutively since 1991 and 1992. Fickell fired Longo with two regular season games remaining.
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Fickell replaced Longo with Grimes, whose offense is expected to feature heavier personnel packages and resemble more of the physical style Wisconsin was previously accustomed to while building on some of the passing concepts Longo provided. Fickell also split the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coaching responsibilities by moving wide receivers coach Kenny Guiton into the quarterbacks coach role this offseason. Longo handled both jobs while at Wisconsin.
Longo offered Mock a scholarship in May after he watched an early-morning workout of the 6-foot-3, 205-pound prospect at Pickerington North High School in Ohio. At the time, Mock didn’t have any Power 4 scholarship offers, with his other offers coming from UMass, Miami (Ohio) and Marshall. Mock’s coach, Nate Hillerich, said Longo liked Mock’s throwing ability and how he projected to effectively run Wisconsin’s RPO system.
Mock later earned an offer from Central Michigan before committing to Wisconsin, though he said at the time he had been communicating with several Power 4 programs, including Vanderbilt, Virginia, Iowa State, Purdue, Michigan State, Ohio State and Michigan.
Mock finished his junior season completing 155 of 252 passes (61.5 percent) for 2,605 yards with 23 touchdowns and four interceptions. He also ran for 185 yards and two touchdowns. Andree said Jarin heard in recent weeks from Iowa State and Cincinnati wondering about his status given Wisconsin’s coaching transition.
“We basically told them we’re still committed,” Andree said. “The word commitment in our household, it means a lot. So we’re not going to decommit somewhere. We are committed to that particular person, university, situation, to the fullest.”
Wisconsin has just one committed prospect in the 2026 class with three-star offensive lineman Benjamin Novak. The Badgers were actively pursuing other quarterbacks in the class even while Mock was committed. Wisconsin offered four-star quarterback Bowe Bentley (Celina, Texas) on Tuesday.
Mock, a three-star prospect, was rated in the 247Sports Composite as the No. 40 quarterback in the country. Twenty-two quarterbacks ranked ahead of him in the 2026 class are uncommitted.
“We are not comfortable but we will be OK,” Andree said. “His talents won’t go unnoticed elsewhere.”
(Photo of Jarin Mock: Cai Watts / Pickerington North)
Longo, who left Wisconsin to take on a new coaching position elsewhere, had a significant impact on the team’s offensive scheme during his time with the Badgers. However, with his departure, the team has decided to part ways with the last quarterback who was closely linked to Longo’s system.
This decision comes as no surprise to many fans and analysts, as the team looks to revamp its offense and adapt to a new coaching staff. The Badgers are expected to bring in fresh talent and implement new strategies to improve their performance on the field.
As Wisconsin bids farewell to its final quarterback tied to Phil Longo, fans can expect to see a new era of offensive football for the Badgers. Stay tuned for updates on the team’s progress as they continue to restructure and evolve their offensive game plan.
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