Wisconsin football adds former four-star QB transfer Nick Evers
With former Wisconsin quarterback Graham Mertz opting to enter the transfer portal on December 4, the future of the quarterback position at UW is wide open.
On Saturday, the Badgers and new head coach Luke Fickell made a splash in the transfer portal to potentially find an answer by landing former Oklahoma quarterback Nick Evers.
A true freshman this past season with Oklahoma, Evers joined the Sooners as an early enrollee last January as one of the top quarterbacks in the 2022 recruiting class and a heralded four-star recruit. Ranked as the No. 8 quarterback and the No. 137 player in the country for his grade level by 247 Sports, Evers came to Norman with a ton of fanfare after choosing the Sooners over other scholarship offers from schools like Auburn, Cincinnati, Florida, Iowa, Louisville, Minnesota, Ole Miss, Penn State, TCU, Virginia Tech, and Virginia Tech.
However, stuck behind Oklahoma starter Dillon Gabriel, Evers went on to redshirt this past season and ultimately entered the transfer portal on December 5.
A true dual-threat quarterback with an ability to throw and run well, Evers is a strong fit for Wisconsin's offense under new offensive coordinator Phil Longo. The former North Carolina offensive coordinator has found success with quarterbacks demonstrating an ability to move with the football, and Evers can definitely do that after recording 648 rushing yards as a senior while throwing for over 5,000 yards and 44 touchdowns in his final two seasons at the prep level.
Still unproven at the college ranks, Evers joins a rather thin quarterback room featuring fellow freshman Myles Burkett on scholarship, walk-on Marshall Howe, and incoming freshman Cole LaCrue for spring practice. Those four are expected to duke it out for the starting role, though the Badgers are also hosting Virginia transfer Brennan Armstrong for an official visit this weekend.
Evers is one of the highest-rated recruits on Wisconsin's roster heading spring ball, and it will be interesting to see how quickly he can grab ahold of the playbook in Madison and develop before next season. Evers is still somewhat raw on film, but his athleticism and attributes make him an incredibly intriguing player and one that fits the modern quarterback that teams at the college and NFL levels covet.
Luke Fickell had a previous relationship with Evers after courting him as a high school recruit, and it appears that his prior relationship helped pave the way for the former Cincinnati coach to land Evers a second chance.
Evers is the first transfer addition for Wisconsin this cycle, though the Badgers have regained wide receiver Markus Allen and offensive lineman Michael Furtney who had entered the transfer portal initially but opted to come back to UW for the 2023 season. Luke Fickell has stated on multiple occasions that he prefers to recruit players from the high school ranks and be very selective with transfer players. With a glaring need at quarterback, Fickell went aggressively after Evers, and it will now be fascinating to see how active the Badgers are at some other potential positions of need going forward.
You can check out some high school film of Evers in action below.
Related links:
- Four-star safety Braedyn Moore commits to the Badgers
- Jonas Duclona commits to Wisconsin in the 2023 class
- Three-star tight end Tucker Ashcraft commits to Wisconsin
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