Will quarterback Graham Mertz see the field much for the Wisconsin Badgers in 2020?
This is the question every single fan in the state wants to know, and we’re now less than 48 hours away from voluntary workouts getting underway. (RELATED: David Hookstead Is The True King In The North When It Comes To College Football)
It seems like a good time to have a realistic conversation about what to expect out of Mertz in 2020. Here’s where I stand on the situation with the most hyped recruit in program history.
Following his redshirt season last year, I still don’t think Mertz will be starting week one against Indiana. In fact, I’d be shocked if that happened.
The reality of the situation is that head coach Paul Chryst loves experience, and Jack Coan has more than an entire season under his belt.
If we had spring ball back in March, maybe Mertz could have overtaken Coan with enough reps. His ceiling is certainly much higher than the senior passer’s, but he’s also much greener.
Instead, spring practice didn’t happen, and we’re nearing the season starting in early September. I just don’t see how Mertz can win the starting job in such a short period of time.
Given that fact, I 100% expect Coan under center against Indiana. So, where does that level the phenom redshirt freshman QB?
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He’s not going to ride the bench. That much is damn sure. My best guess is that Chryst slowly works him in, and slowly starts increasing his snap count.
His arm is way too talented to not play at all just because Coan is on the bench. I think there’s a very high chance we see a bunch of him, but he’s simply not going to start unless he balls out in camp going into the season, which seems like a tough task.
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So, that’s how I see it as of June 6th!