10/9/2017 football Edit

2019 QB Graham Mertz jumps on Wisconsin offer

Jon McNamara • BadgerBlitz

Editor

Jon McNamara is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He has covered UW athletics since 2002 and has worked at Rivals.com since 2006.

The Wisconsin coaching staff, led by staff member Jon Budmayr, offered Graham Mertz just under three weeks ago.

The Badgers then got the 2019 quarterback on campus for their win against Northwestern on Sept. 30. And Sunday evening, UW secured a commitment from the 6-foot-4, 205-pound junior from Blue Valley North High School in Kansas.

"I am extremely thankful to all of the schools that have recruited me throughout this process," Mertz wrote on Twitter. "I also want to thank my coaches, Andy Sims and Justin Hoover for helping me achieve my lifelong goal of playing college football.

"In addition to my coaches, I also want to thank my wonderful family who has supported me all of my life. I am beyond blessed to be in the situation that I am, and I am truly grateful for the opportunity that Coach (Paul) Chryst and Coach Budmayr have given me. With this being said, I would like to announce that I am committed to play football at the University of Wisconsin!"

Mertz, who also camped at UW the summer after his freshman season, chose Wisconsin over offers from Kansas and Minnesota. He was also receiving strong interest from Oklahoma Sate, Vanderbilt, South Carolina, Iowa and Nebraska, among others.

"Coach Budmayr said they just liked how competitive I was and they think I can make all the throws on the field," Mertz said in a previous interview with BadgerBlitz.com. "I think that showed pretty well on my first three games. I also think they liked the person I am and the family I come from.

"I love the tradition at Wisconsin. When I camped there, you could really see that everywhere you went. It’s a school where everyone is going to be involved and it’s a great community. I really loved the coaches and thought the players."

Mertz, who has completed 132 of 214 passes (62 percent) for 23 touchdowns and 1,604 yards this fall, is the second known commitment in the Badgers' 2019 class, along with in-state linebacker Leo Chenal.

It's still very early, but UW will likely look to take just one scholarship quarterback in the junior cycle. Paul Tyson is the only other uncommitted QB in this class with an offer from the Badgers.