Chryst confirms Jack Coan will start Pinstripe Bowl
MADISON, Wis. - The Wisconsin Badgers tried their best to redshirt sophomore quarterback Jack Coan in 2018, but even the best-laid plans often go awry.
And while in an ideal world the Badgers wanted to redshirt Coan and preserve a year of his eligibility, head coach Paul Chryst confirmed on Thursday that Coan will start Wisconsin’s game against Miami in the Pinstripe Bowl in place of Alex Hornibrook, who is still dealing with the lingering side effects of the head injuries he sustained this season.
“Alex participated in a couple weeks of the bowl practices and then kind of had some reoccurring (symptoms),” Chryst said after practice on Thursday.
“We’re going with Jack,” Chryst said. “One of the things we talked about with Jack at the beginning of the season was that as he goes ... we wouldn’t play him ... when the game was decided. Every time that he has played the game has been in the balance and this is one more great opportunity for him to be able to start.”
Coan started four games for the Badgers this season in place of Hornibrook while the latter recovered from two separate head injuries. Playing in the New Era Pinstripe Bowl on Dec. 27 will be Coan's fifth game of the season - meaning he will have played in enough games to exhaust a year of eligibility according to the NCAA's new redshirt rules.
Coan struggled in his first two starts for the Badgers against Northwestern and Penn State, playing both games on the road. But he finished his regular season work on a high note against Purdue, helping the Badgers complete a come-from-behind win in triple overtime by completing 16 of 24 passes for 160 yards with two touchdown passes in the fourth quarter.
News about Coan's opportunity to play in another game for the Badgers this year got out late on Wednesday night, when Coan's father Mike tweeted out that his son would be starting Wisconsin's bowl game.
A native of Sayville, New York - a little more than an hour's drive away from Yankee Stadium on Long Island - Coan will get one more chance to show what he can do in Wisconsin's offense with a full week to prepare for the upcoming game.
As for Hornibrook, Chryst said it’s too early to say how his lingering symptoms from his head injuries will affect his career down the road. Chryst said Hornibrook did travel to Michigan to see a specialist about his post-concussion symptoms during the season.
“It’s so early,” Hornibrook said. “You’re going through it. I don’t know all of the ramifications right now. You take it day to day and week to week.”
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John Veldhuis covers Wisconsin football, basketball and recruiting for BadgerBlitz.com on the Rivals.com network. Follow him on Twitter at @JohnVeldhuis.