Anonymous Big Ten Coach Utterly Confused By Wisconsin's OC Hire: 'Just Weird'

Wisconsin football coach Luke Fickell hiring Phil Longo as the team's OC has left some opposing coaches baffled.

Fickell was hired by the Badgers after Paul Chryst was fired and interim coach Jim Leonhard failed to leave an impressive enough mark. Shortly after Fickell was named HC, he stole Longo from UNC to run Wisconsin's offense.

The Badgers have been a run-heavy team for more than 30 years, but those days are gone with Longo and Fickell now in Madison. That's certainly left opposing coaches very confused.

"The strangest hire of the offseason was Phil Longo coming to Wisconsin. It's like Luke Fickell knows something no one else does, or he's about to make a major mistake. ... This is the anti-Wisconsin offense. It's gonna take a minute for everyone to adjust to it. Certainly that roster, but opposing coaches too, just weird," an unnamed Big Ten coach told Athlon when breaking down Wisconsin's team.

Will Phil Longo be a success with the Wisconsin Badgers? (Mandatory Credit: Mark Hoffman-USA TODAY Sports via USA Toady Sports Network)

Will Luke Fickell and Phil Longo be a success for the Wisconsin Badgers?

The unnamed Big Ten coach who spoke to Athlon is hardly the only person a little confused. A lot of Wisconsin fans have no idea what to expect from Phil Longo's offense under Luke Fickell.

Longo spent the past several seasons at UNC, and oversaw the Tar Heels slinging the ball all over the field. First, Sam Howell put up solid numbers in his offense, and Drake Maye was absolutely dominant last season.

However, he inheriting a very different roster in Madison. The QB room upgraded with the exit of Graham Mertz and the additions of Tanner Mordecai, Braedyn Locke and Nick Evers.

Tanner Mordecai is QB1 for the Wisconsin Badgers. (Mandatory Credit: Mark Hoffman-USA TODAY Sports via USA Today Sports Network)

Wisconsin traditionally runs the ball a lot.

However, the roster isn't tooled for an air raid offense. Not at all. The roster has been tooled for three decades to run the ball straight at the defense, and with Braelon Allen in the backfield, it's hard to imagine he won't be utilized a lot.

The marriage of Phil Longo to Wisconsin football with Luke Fickell is the definition of opposites attract. It seems like it's either going to be a huge success or an utter disaster.

The good news is Fickell has a proven track record of success and took Cincinnati to the College Football Playoff. He now has much more talent and way more resources in Madison.

Will Luke Fickell and Phil Longo be a success in Madison? (Photo by Chris Coduto/Getty Images)

Expectations are incredibly high in Madison. Can Longo and Fickell meet them? Fans will find out week one against Buffalo.