Positional recruit snapshot: 2019 quarterbacks

Over the next two weeks, BadgerBlitz.com will be bringing you snapshots for each recruited position, covering the targets who are legitimate prospects on Wisconsin's board in the 2019 class. We will discuss the candidates who are most interested in the Badgers, as well as those who are considered long shots to commit to UW.

As always, this is just a snapshot in time and things remain fluid. Additional offered targets will appear over the next few months and some recruits will inevitably choose other colleges.

Today, we start with a look at the quarterbacks.

Wisconsin is expected to open spring camp with four scholarship quarterbacks on the roster: (Soon-to-be) redshirt junior Alex Hornibrook, redshirt sophomore Kare' Lyles, sophomore Jack Coan and redshirt freshman Danny Vanden Boom. With 2018 signee Chase Wolf arriving next summer, Paul Chryst and Jon Budmayr will likely be able to sign one scholarship quarterback in each cycle moving forward, a desired scenario when recruiting the position.

Wisconsin's early homework paid off big this fall when the Badgers hit on four-star quarterback Graham Mertz, who, at the time, only had offers from Kansas and Minnesota.

"Graham is a big, strong pocket-passer," Elite 11 quarterbacks coach Justin Hoover, who trains Mertz, told BadgerBlitz.com. "Huge arm with very polished fundamentals.

"He's really talented and very competitive. I think he'll attack his weaknesses and be ready to compete from Day 1. I think he needs to continue to work on footwork - he plays strictly in the gun - and you can always work on accuracy. I also think he needs to challenge himself when it comes to understanding and reading defenses.

"Physically it's all there. He's only started six varsity games, so he's learning every week."

A 6-foot-4, 205-pound junior, Mertz, the No. 6 pro-style quarterback in the 2019 class, is expected to graduate early.

“Wisconsin grabbed its quarterback in the 2019 class early, before most other schools were able to recognize the Kansas City-area quarterback's talent. Mertz is a tall, strong-armed passer who throws a beautiful football and really made strides in his game as a junior, even beyond where we had seen him just this past spring.” - --

-Josh Helmholdt