Jack Coan appears to be firmly entrenched as the Wisconsin Badgers quarterback.
According to the Journal Sentinel, the junior passer is “leading” the quarterback competition and “appears more comfortable and confident in the offense and his game.”
However, the biggest surprise might be the emergence of Chase Wolf in the battle. The redshirt freshman has played just as well, if not better than true freshman phenom Graham Mertz, according to the same report from Friday. Anybody who says they saw Wolf coming out of left field to possibly push ahead of Mertz is likely a liar. (RELATED: Wisconsin Coach Paul Chryst Has A ‘Pretty Good Idea’ Who Will Be The Starting QB)
This is just such a wild situation to me. Has Coan really improved that much that he’s the clear favorite to win the job?
I’ve got nothing against Coan, and I’m okay with him being the starter if that’s the decision Paul Chryst goes with to open the season against USF.
However, I think I speak for a lot of people when I say Mertz appearing to not be anywhere near the starting role is surprising.
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To me, the Wolf emergence only really makes sense under one scenario. My Badgers are reportedly preparing to run some read option this season due to the fact Coan is pretty athletic.
If the plan is to start Coan because Mertz isn’t ready, then you might as well redshirt the freshman phenom.
That means the backup has to be able to run the option, which Wolf absolutely can. He’s also a very solid athlete.
Jack Coan with the majority of reps with the first team today by a wide margin. Also noticed a lot of shotgun and pistol work today w/ read option concepts
— Matt Belz (@savedbythebelz) August 5, 2019
Wisconsin can redshirt Mertz, still play him in four or fewer games and then we can get back to this discussion down the road.
Either way, it seems like there’s next to no chance in hell at this point Coan doesn’t start against USF. Now, let’s hit the music and prepare to beat the Bulls!
Never forget who is the true King in the North when it comes to college football. pic.twitter.com/vtbKyAPdYe
— David Hookstead (@dhookstead) August 10, 2019