MADISON, Wis. - The Wisconsin Badgers will have a new starting quarterback in 2019.

The Badgers confirmed on Wednesday afternoon that three-year starter Alex Hornibrook has left the football program after reports emerged that he had entered the NCAA's transfer portal.

“Alex informed us of his decision to leave the team earlier today,” UW head coach Paul Chryst said in a statement. “He contributed to a lot of our recent success and we want to thank him for all he did for our program. We wish him the best of luck.”

Hornibrook's departure comes after head injuries marred his junior season. Hornibrook played in just nine games for the Badgers and missed most of the second half of the season, including Wisconsin's win over Miami in the New Era Pinstripe Bowl.

Hornibrook completed 60.5 percent of his passes for the Badgers during his three seasons on the field, throwing for 5,438 yards with 47 touchdowns and 33 interceptions. Hornibrook is expected to graduate in May, and will have one year of eligibility left to play for another team.

The Badgers will look to replace Hornibrook with one of several underclassmen at the position, including junior Jack Coan, who burned his chance at redshirting by playing in five games for UW last year while Hornibrook was out. The Badgers also have sophomore Danny Vanden Boom and redshirt freshman Chase Wolf at the position, along with incoming true freshman Graham Mertz - the highest-ranked quarterback recruit in Wisconsin history.

Coan, Vanden Boom, Wolf and Mertz will compete for the starting quarterback job when the Badgers start their spring practices on March 26.

___________________________________________________

John Veldhuis covers Wisconsin football, basketball and recruiting for BadgerBlitz.com on the Rivals.com network. Follow him on Twitter at @JohnVeldhuis.