Wisconsin football leans on family ties in landing QB Landyn Locke as first 2025 commit

If quarterback recruiting was based purely on statistics, then perhaps Landyn Locke still would be in a holding pattern. After all, he appeared in just two varsity games as a sophomore last season for Rockwall (Texas) High School, completing 13-of-23 passes (56.5 percent) for 159 yards with one touchdown and one interception.

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But Wisconsin offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Phil Longo recognizes there is so much more to recruiting. It’s about scouting potential, measurables, arm strength, character and developing meaningful relationships with people.

When Longo visited Rockwall High last month to evaluate Locke in person, he already knew plenty about the character and family side of things. Locke’s older brother, Braedyn, is a redshirt freshman quarterback for Wisconsin who transferred from Mississippi State in January after hitting it off with Longo. Once Longo saw the 6-foot-4, 180-pound Landyn deliver throws with confidence and accuracy, he’d seen all he needed to see. Longo quickly extended a scholarship offer.

At the time, Locke’s only scholarship offers were from SMU, Tulsa and Western Kentucky. Miami (Fla.) entered the fray a week after Wisconsin. But the Badgers had a clear and obvious advantage.

Two Sundays ago, Landyn finally visited Madison with his mom and dad. The three of them crammed into Braedyn’s one-bedroom apartment for a week, allowing Landyn the opportunity to experience as much as possible about the town, the campus and the football program. Just before he and his parents were scheduled to board their flight last Saturday, Landyn asked to meet with Longo and head coach Luke Fickell. That’s when he delivered the news that he was committing to Wisconsin.

Committed!!🔴⚪️ #onwisconsin #JumpAroundMadTown25 pic.twitter.com/qHtCOWSZfz

— Landyn Locke (@LandynLocke) June 22, 2023

Landyn’s dad, Trey, said Longo asked what would happen when teams like LSU or others in the Power 5 inevitably offered him a scholarship down the road. Landyn’s response: Well, my brother is only in one spot.

“Obviously, Braedyn is a factor and it’s an advantage,” Landyn said. “I just really feel like Wisconsin can offer as much, if not more, than any place in the country. You go look at coach Longo’s resume, coach Fickell’s resume and the great careers they’ve had, who better to play for? The town of Madison, it’s just beautiful. Everything about them blew me out of the water.”

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Locke becomes Wisconsin’s first committed prospect in the 2025 recruiting class, someone who is unrated in the 247Sports Composite but whose stock appears to be on the rise as he readies for a potential starting role in his junior season. His skill set, much like that of his older brother, would seem to perfectly mesh with the Air Raid passing attack Longo is bringing to Wisconsin. Rockwall’s offense emphasizes play-action throws and RPOs in a shotgun-spread system, as does Wisconsin’s.

“When he gets out on the field, all you have to do is see him throw one time,” Rockwall High football coach Trey Brooks said. “He’s one of the best that I’ve ever had. We’ve had three straight Division I kids, including Braedyn. Landyn is every bit as good as any of them, just the way he spins the ball.

“We’re a huge play-action shot team. He can throw those deep balls as good as anybody that I’ve seen. I don’t even know if I’ve seen him fully cut one loose. We throw in our practices what we call routes on air from the 45-yard line. He’s throwing them five yards deep into the end zone on post routes without even, it looks so effortless. When you watch it, you’re like, ‘Man, there’s something different about him.’”

Braedyn set the Texas Class 6A career record while at Rockwall with 128 passing touchdowns on 26 interceptions and ranked second all-time with 11,182 passing yards. He already has established himself in one spring as Wisconsin’s backup to starter Tanner Mordecai and the potential quarterback of the future after Mordecai uses up his eligibility next season. Braedyn’s precise understanding of the offense has been widely praised, and that knowledge has helped Landyn to develop.

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Landyn said he and Braedyn talk on the phone every night about football and occasionally watch film together. When they do watch film, it is often Braedyn helping Landyn break down the Rockwall offense, which Braedyn knows so well as a former three-year starter.

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“I think I spin it really well,” Landyn said. “I feel like I can extend plays and make something out of nothing. I feel like my release is pretty good. People like that I’m tall. That always helps. I feel like I have a lot to offer.”

Trey said Landyn had to earn scholarships on his own merits and noted he can throw footballs 60 yards off his back foot and has won numerous accuracy competitions at camps. But there’s no denying how much of an influence Braedyn has been on his growth.

“They spend a lot of time together watching film and understanding concepts,” Trey said. “I think it makes Landyn fearless out there. He’s already fearless from an athletic perspective because he thinks he can make any throw on the field. But now he’s understanding and seeing it from a simplicity standpoint that his brother shows him.

“Coaches have to coach to the youngest kid in the room, so to say. But Braedyn doesn’t have to coach Landyn like that. So they can get together and it just makes Landyn a lot better from a film perspective and concepts.”

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Longo has demonstrated in his first seven months at Wisconsin a propensity for Texas quarterbacks. All three of the transfer portal additions Wisconsin made at the position were former four-star Texas prep quarterbacks with Mordecai, Braedyn Locke and Nick Evers. Longo has a commitment in the 2024 class from four-star quarterback Mabrey Mettauer, who is from The Woodlands, Texas. Landyn will be a part of the next wave. When he arrives, Braedyn will be a redshirt junior, presumably in position to potentially help pass to torch to his younger brother.

There are still 18 months until Landyn can officially sign with Wisconsin, and he recognizes he has much more work to do to prove himself both on the field and off, which includes becoming a leader in his new recruiting class.

“I definitely want to take this role with a lot of confidence and try to get as many players here as I can,” Landyn said. “This is the place to be, and people ought to know that.”

(Photo courtesy of Rockwall ISD Sports Marketing)

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