Graham Mertz was crowned too soon for Wisconsin Football

Wisconsin football quarterback Graham Mertz was crowned as the program’s savior after his first game. It turns out that was a bit premature.

Wisconsin Football fans’ infatuation with Graham Mertz started long before he ever took a snap for the program. As one of the highest recruited quarterbacks in Wisconsin’s history, and certainly one of the highest ranked to ever suit up for the Badgers, it was easy to fall in love with the guy who was quickly compared to Russell Wilson before ever setting foot in Camp Randall Stadium.

At 6-foot-3, Mertz has ideal size for the position along with the arm strength and understanding of the game to make defenses pay. His mobility is also a plus when he needs to take off and make something happen with his feet. The best part is he knows he’s good and his swagger is apparent in any room he steps into.

Badgers’ fans were disappointed when Mertz was beat out by Jack Coan in 2019 and had to redshirt his freshman year. They were ready to see the most-hyped recruit in program history play and play right away. However, it turned out to be the right decision, as Coan proved himself worthy of the starting job.

When Coan injured his foot right before the season and required surgery, it opened the door for Mertz. And boy did he take advantage of it.

In his first ever collegiate start, Mertz tore apart Illinois’ defense like nobody had seen before. He completed 20 of 21 passes (95.2 percent) for 248 yards and five touchdowns. He was extremely efficient and demonstrated savvy rarely seen out of Badger quarterbacks. All of the skills he showed in high school were on full display, as he tore apart the Fighting Illini’s defense in his first ever full-time action.

That performance alone verified the feelings Wisconsin fans had about Mertz, as he was crowned the next big thing for the Badgers. Nicknames (the Kansas Kannon) began flowing, J.J. Watt and Patrick Mahomes took notice, and t-shirts were made all over Badger nation.

Unfortunately, it appears he was crowned too soon, as reality has struck these past three weeks.

Since his first game, Mertz has only completed 56.7 percent of his passes for 186.3 yards per game and three total touchdowns. Even worse, he’s responsible for six turnovers (twice as many touchdowns), and could be singled out as one of the primary reasons Wisconsin lost to both Northwestern and Indiana. It’s safe to say he’s looked like a freshman these last two games.

As a result of Mertz’ ineptitude, the Badgers’ offense has been downright awful–scoring a combined 13 points against Northwestern and Indiana. That’s not nearly good enough for the Badgers.

Of course, a lack of actual games and wide receivers (Danny Davis has been out) could play a role in Mertz’ struggles. Still it’s difficult to justify the plethora of erratic passes he’s throwing on a regular basis, the lack of ball security on simple sacks and the many other mistakes he’s making.

Don’t get me wrong, the ceiling is still extremely high for Mertz and this playing time could be of great benefit in the long run. With hindsight being 50/50, all I’m saying is we crowned him too soon and it’s clear he’s not ready to carry a major college football program like Wisconsin.