Final Wisconsin Badgers positional recruit snapshot: 2021 quarterbacks

Over the next two weeks, BadgerBlitz.com will be bringing you final snapshots for each recruited position, covering the targets who are legitimate prospects on Wisconsin's board in the 2021 class. We will discuss the candidates who are committed and most interested in the Badgers, as well as those who came off UW's board.

Today, we start with a look at the quarterbacks.

Wisconsin is expected to have four scholarship quarterbacks and one preferred walk-on on the fall roster. Looking at the QB room, starter Jack Coan led the Badgers to a 10-4 record and a spot in the Rose Bowl last season. Highly-touted freshman Graham Mertz used his redshirt this season, with Chase Wolf, Danny Vanden Boom and Daniel Wright rounding out the group. Three-star Deacon Hill is committed in the 2021 class.

In the spring of 2019, Wisconsin was the the first school to offer Hill, a 6-foot-4, 225-pound junior from Santa Barbara High School in California. The recruiting process didn't last long, though, as the three-star prospect committed roughly two months later in June.

“They (Wisconsin) were the first to believe in me and the first to take that one shot on a kid from Santa Barbara," Hill recently told BadgerBlitz.com. "They saw something in me that I knew was there and that my high school coach knew was there, but no one else was ready to pull the trigger. And then Wisconsin pulled it, so that was obviously a big attraction. They were the first ones there and when I took my visit, it already felt like home. It doesn’t matter the distance, as long as I feel right. Everything about Wisconsin just felt perfect.”

Hill, who threw for over 2,000 yards and 22 touchdown passes during the regular season last fall, recently picked up an offer from UCLA. That, though, hasn't changed his focus on Wisconsin.

“I’m fully committed to Wisconsin,” Hill said. “You know, the UCLA offer is a cool offer to have - just another feather in my cap. I really want to thank them for having interest in me and that was one of the main reasons why I tweeted it out, to show thanks and gratitude to them for having interest in me. It compliments all the work that I’ve been putting in and it shows that people are starting to see how you’re doing and how you’re moving forward in a weird time."

Hill was told at the time of his commitment he would be the only scholarship quarterback Wisconsin would take in the 2021 class, and the Badgers have held true to that. That plan could adjust if injuries or a transfer comes about unexpectedly. But for now, we're predicting Hill will be the only QB Wisconsin signs in December.

Four-star J.J. McCarthy made an early commitment to Michigan despite holding an offer from Wisconsin, among many other schools. Jake Rubley (Kansas State), Sawyer Robertson (Mississippi State), Ty Thompson (Oregon) and Behren Morton (Texas Tech) all committed after Hill's pledge to Wisconsin.

Wisconsin has a long-standing commitment from Hill and are in a good spot with Devin Brown, who is the only offered quarterback on UW's board in the 2022 class. Give credit to Jon Budmayr's identification process and the early work he has put in with each prospect. If everything follow script, the Badgers should be able to get away with one scholarship QB in the next two cycles, but they have to stay injury- and transfer-free.