Luke Fickell has seemingly found a new starter for the Wisconsin Badgers, with Adam Rittenberg of ESPN reporting that SMU Mustangs signal-caller Tanner Mordecai expected to land with Wisconsin football after entering the transfer portal.

#SMU quarterback Tanner Mordecai entered the transfer portal earlier tonight and is expected to land at #Wisconsin, according to sources. Would be a huge pickup for Luke Fickell and OC Phil Longo.

Mordecai originally started his journey in college football with the Oklahoma Sooners in 2018 when he played as a backup to Kyler Murray. The following season, he was once again a backup, that time, behind another future NFL star Jalen Hurts, who now plays for the Philadelphia Eagles.

Tanner Mordecai would later decide to transfer to SMU in 2021, where he was able to realize his dream of starting at the college level. In 12 games for the Mustangs in 2021, he passed for 3,628 yards and 39 touchdowns against 12 interceptions. In what would eventually be his final season with SMU, Mordecai racked up 3,524 passing yards and 33 touchdowns against 12 picks in 12 appearances for the Mustangs, who ranked sixth nationally in passing yards per game (322.7) and 11th in scoring offense (36.6 points per game).

Once his transfer to Wisconsin football becomes official, Mordecai should be viewed as the 2023 starter for the Badgers. His arrival in Madison will also come just after Graham Mertz decided to take his talents to the SEC, as he is now with the Florida Gators.

Wisconsin football finished the 2022 college football season with a 7-6 overall record.