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Phil Longo describes transition of bringing the Air Raid to Wisconsin
By Keith Farner
Published:
Phil Longo shifting the Wisconsin offense from a run-oriented attack to the Air Raid will be one of the more interesting developments of the 2023 season.
However, some important context is that Longo, the new Wisconsin offensive coordinator, has done something like this before. In an interview with 247Sports, Longo spoke to how the transition unfolds.
After all, when he took over as Sam Houston State’s offensive coordinator in 2014, Longo coached personnel that was built for a triple-option offense. The offense produced more than 4,000 yards as a team, and 2 years later, Sam Houston State broke the single-season FCS passing touchdown record.
“I think if you try to go 5-wide and air it out from a triple option system you’re probably beating your head against a wall,” Longo said. “I think if you try to go ground and pound from a 10-personnel, Air Raid system, it’s hard. You’re banging your head against the wall. But this system is diverse enough.”
Wisconsin accelerated the transition because it signed 3 quarterbacks and 4 wide receiver transfers.
“We were not at all happy with where the quarterback room was when we got here, just evaluating it,” Longo said. “We wanted a quarterback that was talented enough to do specific things in the system, and we felt like we needed to go to the portal to get that. So, we brought in Tanner Mordecai, Braedyn Locke and Nick Evers, three quarterbacks who probably would not have considered Wisconsin with the previous offense. That’s not a knock on the previous offense. That’s just truth. They want to be in a diverse system that can be more prolific and more explosive. This system provides that opportunity.”
As for spring practice, Longo is ready to jump in and will move as fast as they can early.
“You’re either prepared because you know it or you’re not and you’ll have to wait before you get on the field. And these kids want to get on the field. It’s amazing what you can do if you have to,” he said.
Keith Farner has written about college football for newspapers and web sites since 2005.