Wisconsin transfer quarterback Braedyn Locke commits to Arizona

Wisconsin Badgers transfer quarterback Braedyn Locke is taking his talents to Arizona, joining the Wildcats via the NCAA Transfer Portal, On3 has learned. Locke began his college career with the Mississippi State Bulldogs.

Locke was thrust into the starting role in both 2023 and 2024, as the quarterbacks Wisconsin had started both got injured. He played in 16 games in two seasons with the Badgers. All told, he passed for 2,713 yards, 18 touchdowns and 11 interceptions over two seasons in Madison.

Locke played high school football at Rockwall (TX), where he was a three-star prospect in the 2024 cycle. That was according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.

How often Locke plays in 2025 remains to be seen. Veteran quarterback Noah Fifita is returning to the Wildcats next season, choosing to try and rejuvenate his draft stock and make up for a disappointing season in 2024 next year, which leaves Locke’s short-term prospects a little murky, but he could be the starter in waiting, if you will, ready for whenever Fifita moves on from Tucson.

After a subpar 4-8 season in head coach Brent Brennan’s first season with Arizona, with a bunch of Wildcats players entering the transfer portal as well, Fifita decided to stay the course, and he’s enthusiastic about his decision moving forward.

“For me it’s about the coaches and the people in that building,” Fifita told the Star. “I still believe in the coaches.”

In addition to changes throughout the roster for Arizona, the Wildcats have a new offensive coordinator in Seth Doege. That aided Fifita’s decision to return to the Wildcats.

“This is somebody who believed in me before others did,” Fifita said of Doege. “Getting to know him the last couple of days, we have a lot of similarities, not just in football and playing quarterback but as people; the people who had a chip on their shoulder and was overlooked for a lot of our lives. That’s someone I resonate with and someone I’m looking forward to playing for.”

Alas, it remains to be seen if Braedyn Locke and Noah Fifita can coexist in Tucson. But it’s certainly going to be interesting for the Wildcats, as Arizona hopes for an improved second season in the Big 12.