Wisconsin's 2022 football season is right around the corner, so BadgerBlitz.com ranked the top 30 players who we think will be the keys to success for Paul Chryst's squad this year.

Playing time, past performance and positional depth all factored into our staff rankings.

For the second year in a row, Graham Mertz is No. 1 in our Key Badgers series, as the fourth-year quarterback returns as a three-year starter for Wisconsin. It's unfair to say an entire season revolves around one player, but no one will be more important to UW's success this year than Mertz.

"I've appreciated the way that Graham has approached this offseason, coming back in the winter and spring and summer," head coach Paul Chryst said on Wednesday. "Last year he was a leader in many ways. He's continued to do that. He's taking ownership of the things that he needs to do and does a great job of communicating, working with the rest of our players. It's about all of us, right?

"I think a good leader shows that you've got to lead by example but also how can you help others be the best they can be? He's trying to do that, and I've seen him do that. That, as a coach, you appreciate."

In 2021, Mertz threw 11 interceptions and just 10 touchdowns while completing 59.5 percent of his passes, numbers he is working to improve upon this fall. Decision making and working through his progressions have been an area of weakness over the last two seasons.

“I would say the biggest thing is there’s just a lot of decisions that you go back and watch, and think you could have done differently,” Mertz said about his failures. “It goes back to decision making. How can I be a better decision-maker? That’s the biggest thing. That’s the biggest stride I’ve been trying to take (this offseason.)”

This is far from a hot take, but it all starts with the quarterback. Following a season in which he understandably struggled, Mertz will once again be handed the keys to the offense and be tasked with leading the group back to Indianapolis.

“We got a bunch of guys that truly love the process,” Mertz said. “Yeah, there’s a lot of work that needs to be done. We have big goals, big aspirations. But this team is really good – locked into the moment and growing.”

It will be interesting to see how first-year coordinator Bobby Engram impacts Mertz this fall. If he takes a big jump in his development, the future looks bright in Madison. If not, the staff may have to look at the portal for quarterback options this offseason.

“We do a great job of communicating,” Mertz said of his relationship with Engram. “That’s big between quarterback, coordinator – the communication. If a play ends, what are we trying to get out of it? If neither of us likes it, then why is it in there? It’s that open communication that we have to build the offense together.”

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