The Woodlands (Texas) four-star 2024 quarterback Mabrey Mettauer has committed to Wisconsin, he announced via social media on Saturday, as the Badgers lock in their highest-ranked quarterback pledge since Graham Mertz in the 2019 class.
Coming into the month of December, North Carolina and Wisconsin were the two schools that Mettauer was taking serious looks at, but once the Tar Heels offensive coordinator Phil Longo took a job on Luke Fickell's staff for the same position, the decision became easier.
"I've been praying about it," Mettauer said. "I was probably gonna go to UNC and then he left. It wasn't a dealbreaker, UNC and Kansas State were both in my top schools and I loved those schools, but Coach Longo going to Wisconsin just looked like a nice move. I got offered by Coach Fickell back at Cincinnati and then Coach Longo offering me too, it feels good to be wanted by every position group at the school."
Mettauer took a visit to Wisconsin in the fall for a game day experience and fell in love with Madison, the campus and the fanbase around the Badgers program.
"Definitely love how the fans are so intrigued with Wisconsin football," he said. "Those facilities are super nice, I love the new part of the stadium that they just built in the end zone."
Luke Fickell specifically stands out for Mettauer because of his experience both playing and coaching in the Big Ten as well as his buy-in early on at Wisconsin.
"He's been in my position before," he said. "He's an awesome guy that loves his players. He's not even going home for Christmas, he's going to the bowl game with his new team. It shows a lot about his character."
During Mettauer's junior season that saw him lead The Woodlands to a 10-3 record, the four-star threw for 2,621 yards and 32 touchdowns compared to just six interceptions. On the ground, Mettauer was his team's leading rusher with 613 yards and seven touchdowns.
"I feel like I improved on making super fast pass progressions, that was a big deal for me," he said. "I worked on that since freshman year, but over the years it's progressed from doing it so much. Definitely being able to escape the pocket too, I love doing that stuff and moving around. That's part of my game, I'd say I'm a dual-threat."
Moving forward, Mettauer's focus will be on bulking up while still retaining his athleticism to be ready for the college game.
"I'm definitely going to try to improve on my speed and just get bigger," he said. "Playing in that Big Ten ball, I gotta be a little thicker. There are some big bodies out there."
Mettauer still has a whole year until he arrives in Madison, but he already has his eyes set on what he can bring to Wisconsin upon his arrival.
"A game-changer," Mettauer said. "Wisconsin for a long time has been missing a strong quarterback. I feel like I'm that missing piece that can take them to the next level."
At 6-foot-6, 220 pounds, Mettauer is ranked as the No. 161 prospect in the country for the class of 2024, according to Rivals. He is also the No. 12 ranked pro-style quarterback and the No. 21 recruit from the state of Texas.
