Wisconsin Badgers Football: Expect Jack Coan to start week 1

The competition for the Wisconsin Badgers starting quarterback job has been going on since Graham Mertz stepped onto campus, but week one we should expect to see Jack Coan under center.

The Wisconsin Badgers first game of the season against the University of South Florida is quickly approaching and as of today, we still do not know who the official starting quarterback will be.

Head coach Paul Chryst has stated that the starting job is still up for grabs and when the team does decide on who will be under center come week one, they won’t be making the news public.

Even though we’ve heard it right from Chryst that the job is still open, everything that we have seen so far through Camp points to Jack Coan being the starting quarterback for the Wisconsin Badgers.

Sitting behind Alex Hornibrook the last few seasons, Coan’s experience is a bit limited. In 2017 he would throw just five pass attempts the whole season. But in 2018 Coan would see more playing time as Hornibrook battled injuries and consistency issues.

In five games, Coan would complete 60.2 percent of his passes for 515 yards, with five touchdowns and three interceptions. The Badgers went 3-2 in games Coan played in, including a victory over Miami in the Pinstripe Bowl.

Coming into this season, Coan has put on 10-15 pounds of muscle and it looks like he’s gained some velocity when it comes to throwing the ball. He has put together a very solid Camp in which he has been quite dominant with the first-team reps and has received high praise from Chryst and the rest of the coaching staff.

But of course, the quarterback that is pushing Coan for the starting job is freshman Graham Mertz who is expected by many to lead this Wisconsin Badgers football program to the College Football Playoffs during his tenure and is the quarterback that many fans want to see under center.

Mertz was a top high school prospect and turned down offers from powerhouse programs like Alabama, Clemson, Ohio State, and Georgia to come play for Chryst and the Badgers.

As expected, consistency has been an issue for the young quarterback but over the last week of practices, Mertz has earned more reps with the first-team offense and has looked really good while he’s been out there. He could be starting to put it all together.

With that said, while it is fantastic to see Mertz progressing in the Wisconsin Badgers’ offense, and as a true freshman quarterback he deserves a ton of credit for making it a tough competition, we should all be ready to see Jack Coan take the field against South Florida.

And in addition to Mertz battling for the starting quarterback gig, he is also fighting for the role of backup with Chase Wolf.

Coan may not have the hype or the recruitment ranking that Mertz does, but experience matters and the way that he’s embraced the competition, been consistent with his reps, along with his command of the offense through Camp have all been impressive.

Now, there is always the possibility that we could see Mertz later on in the season if Coan struggles. If the Badgers hit a rough patch it is going to be difficult for Chryst to keep Mertz on the sidelines. However, as it currently stands, this is Jack Coan’s team.