In the wake of Wisconsin football adding two quarterbacks via the transfer portal, it seems that one longtime commit has decided to reopen his recruitment. Quarterback Landyn Locke took to his social media to announce that he would not be coming to the Badgers next season, after signing with Wisconsin earlier this month.
I have decommitted and am no longer signed to the University of Wisconsin. I am thankful for the opportunity but my recruitment is 100% open.
— Landyn Locke (@LandynLocke) December 17, 2024
Quarterback Landyn Locke Decommits from Wisconsin Football
On Monday, the Badgers added two quarterbacks to the roster, with one being viewed as more of a future play with potential and the other as the veteran presence for a new look offense in Wisconsin. Wisconsin football gained a commitment from senior Billy Edwards Jr. from Maryland, giving the Badgers a seasoned player who could end up starting for the team. They also added Danny O’Neil, who impressed in his first season with San Diego State and shows plenty of promise to take over the quarterback job if needed, and has three years of eligibility remaining in his college career.

Added to this, Landyn Locke’s brother Braedyn Locke entered the transfer portal after starting most of this past season under center. The presence of redshirt freshman Mabrey Matteur and incoming freshman Carter Smith only adds to a now-crowded Wisconsin quarterback room. It’s easy to see why Locke would de-commit and ramp up his recruitment efforts again.
For Locke, this represents a turnaround for a player who’s been committed to UW since June of 2023.
What did the Wisconsin Badgers Lose?
While Wisconsin football loses a little bit of competition at the quarterback position, there’s also a bit more to the story. Locke is a three-star recruit out of Rockwell Texas High School. His senior season was cut short by injury, but he was able to put up 334 yards while completing 30 of 54 passes and three touchdowns before tearing his ACL.
Locke was recruited for his arm strength. When he wasn’t on the football field, he also played baseball. He offered the ability to throw the football downfield – something that could help in an Air Raid offense like was experimented on by Wisconsin football under Phil Longo before his exit.

As a junior, he threw for over 1,700 yards and 19 touchdowns.
Unfortunately for Locke, it seems that the team was able to find what they were looking for under new offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes. The Badgers won’t be experimenting with the Air Raid offense and will look to bring the program back to a fierce running game and efficient passing as well. With four-star commit Carter Smith in the fold as the freshman, it’s clear that Smith, Edwards Jr., and O’Neil fit the bill of what Luke Fickell and Grimes are looking for under center for Wisconsin football and not Locke.

Locke held a few offers on top of the one from Wisconsin football. Miami, Duke, and Cal all had offers on the table for Locke. It remains to be seen where he ends up, but it won’t be in Madison.