Phil Longo leaving North Carolina to become Wisconsin offensive coordinator

According to On3’s Matt Zenitz, Phil Longo is leaving North Carolina in favor of another Power Five job. Longo will join Luke Fickell’s staff at Wisconsin, serving as the offensive coordinator in Madison.

Bruce Feldman of The Athletic was first to report the news.

“Wisconsin is set to hire North Carolina’s Phil Longo as offensive coordinator, sources tell @on3sports,” Zenitz said via Twitter.

Longo has spent the past four seasons with North Carolina, coming into the program at the same time as head coach Mack Brown. The wheels needed some time to get turning, not having the best performance during Year One. However, since then, the Tar Heels have been one of the best in the country.

No. 23 is the lowest North Carolina’s scoring offensive has been over the past three seasons, with ninth being the peak. Those are not numbers Wisconsin is used to being associated with, only having a top-25 scoring offense three times since 2010.

And one of those (2011) was with Russell Wilson under center. Things have not been exactly modern in Madison.

Longo will be hoping to bring a new identity to the Badgers. With Fickell being more of a defensive-minded guy, the new offensive coordinator should be able to implement his system and hit the ground running.

Phil Longo developing successful quarterbacks at North Carolina

When Longo arrived at North Carolina, he was able to hold onto 2019 four-star quarterback recruit Sam Howell. The move paid off for everyone involved, with Howell putting up elite-level numbers alongside his offensive coordinator.

Howell has 10,000 career passing yards to his name while in Carolina blue, coming over the course of three seasons. He was eventually drafted with the first pick of the fifth round in the 2022 NFL Draft by the Washington Commanders.

Drake Maye has blossomed under the wing of Longo as well, turning into one of the top quarterbacks in the country. As a redshirt freshman, Maye threw for 4,115 yards, 35 touchdowns, and seven interceptions. The completion percentage was high up there as well, sitting at 67.2%.

Wisconsin will be getting somebody quarterbacks recruits will want to play for. Keeping the ball on the ground and handing off to running backs has always been a staple for the Badgers.

Longo can potentially switch up the approach thanks to his strong, recent history with quarterbacks.