College Football Program Forces QB To Decommit After Holding a Veteran as Hostage

Don’t know if it’s something in the water in Lake Michigan. But weird things are transpiring in adjacent Wisconsin. Offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Phil Longo was let go in November and this one move has created a ripple effect across UW. Three of their top quarterbacks transferred out to play elsewhere in 2025 while new QB signee Landyn Locke also decommitted last month. Their problems don’t end here as a three-star quarterback recruit is no longer part of their 2026 class.

Apart from naming a new OC and a quarterbacks coach, there is another reason for the Badgers’ struggle to hold on to its student-athletes. College Football is in the midst of a window of uncertainty at this juncture. The new legislature regarding NIL and the transfer portal, part of the House Settlement, doesn’t kick in before April. The current, fractured legislature has loopholes to be exploited. It would appear this uncertainty could be contributing to problems stemming out of UW.

UW had a commitment from 3-star QB Jarin Mock in June last year, part of the 2026 recruitment class. College football commits switching allegiance is commonplace. But the Badgers have flipped the script. They’ve refrained from “honoring” Mock’s commitment to the school, according to the 6-foot-3, 200-pound quarterback.

Taking to X on Tuesday, Mock wrote, “After a brief conversation with Wisconsin, they are no longer honoring my commitment. With that being said, my recruitment is 100% open.” He also added a resounding scripture from the Bible. “Jeremiah 29:11…plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future” The details around what led to this are still inconspicuous, but the post seems to suggest that it was Wisconsin, not him, who wanted to go their separate ways. 

Mock, who comes from Pickerington North High School just outside of Columbus, Ohio, committed to UW after turning down offers from Central Michigan, Marshall, UMass, and Miami (OH). A three-star recruit, he completed 155 of 252 passes (61.5%) for 2,603 yards and 23 touchdowns as a junior.

His commitment to the program came when Phil Longo was still with the university, running the team’s offense. However, the coach’s departure  didn’t seem to waver Mock’s decision.

Speaking to 247 Sports he said, “Coach Longo was one of the biggest parts of my recruitment and my commitment to Wisconsin, but one coach doesn’t make a whole program. I’m committed to the program, not the coach.” But his stance to move away from the program highlights something has changed.

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Following the 16-13 loss to Oregon, UW dropped to 5-5 on the season. The offense under Longo ranked just 91st in the nation in total offense (363.1 yards per game) and 98th in scoring (23.9 points per game) at the time. Hence, the program parted ways with him on November 17.

The Badgers hired Jeff Grimes as the offensive coordinator while Kenny Guiton was appointed as the quarterbacks coach. This move has led to some big changes in Wisconsin.

UW’s top three QBs transferred out as the program signaled a change in philosophy. Tyler Van Dyke, who is recovering from an ACL injury, is headed to SMU. Braedyn Locke landed in Arizona and Mabrey Mettauer rejoined Longo at Sam Houston State. Three-star QB Landyn Locke on Monday also announced his decision to move to Sam Houston State.

Jarin Mock’s decision to decommit from UW leaves the program with just one player committed in the 2026 class: three-star interior offensive lineman Benjamin Novak.

If Jarin Mock thinks he’s been thrown in the deep end by Wisconsin, a certain Xavier Lucas is traversing the Mariana Trench!

Jarin Mock revelation surfaces in the backwash of an even bigger controversy involving the Badgers

Amidst murmurs of star defensive back Xavier Lucas hitting the portal, the Badgers and their NIL collective swiftly got into action. The player signed an NIL deal worth $500,000 in exchange for his services. As it turned out, this was only the first wrinkle in a convoluted “heist”, for the lack of a better term. This unassuming process has now developed into a full-bodied cold war. Lucas is on the precipice of suing his school.

After signing the said deal, Xavier Lucas still went ahead and submitted paperwork to hit the portal. How did that happen then? Surely, he’s under a contractual obligation to remain a Badger. Well, it’s not as linear as that. Players sign NIL deals with collectives, not schools. The school itself doesn’t pay the players.

On December 27, Lucas tweeted, “I still intend to transfer. But at the moment Wisconsin is refusing to release me into the transfer portal.” 

According to a BadgerExtra report, Wisconsin believes Lucas must honor a deal he signed with the program in early December — just days before publicly announcing his intention to transfer. The NCAA rules state Wisconsin has to allow him to enter the portal. But they’re not doing it, essentially holding him hostage.

It wasn’t hyperbolic to say there’s some very weird stuff going down in Madison. Xavier Lucas has now onboarded lawyer Darren Heitner, a well-known Florida-based attorney to counsel him and sort this predicament out.

They say lightning doesn’t strike twice. Well, the footballing gods are rewriting the scriptures. Within weeks of the season concluding, two almost unprecedented revelations. Each has its own merits and discrepancies. But it does appear everything ties back to the gaping holes in the legislature. No wonder top coaches across the CFB sphere want a commissioner appointed who can streamline things.

This is not the last we’ll hear of oddities around CFB, at least until the House Settlement comes into effect. UW has not made public comments about Mock or Lucas’ situation.