Report: Mertz's Test Result Confirmed; QB Must Sit Out 21 Days

MADISON, Wis. - Wisconsin redshirt freshman quarterback Graham Mertz has twice tested positive for COVID-19 and will miss a total of 21 days per the Big Ten protocol for COVID-19 positives, a source told CBS Sports Tuesday.

Athletes who test positive for the coronavirus through the daily testing must take a more accurate polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test to confirm the result of the daily test. That result has sidelined Mertz for Saturday’s game at Nebraska and the next two games against Purdue and at No.13 Michigan.

The Badgers are also awaiting a second test result for sophomore Chase Wolf, meaning No.9 Wisconsin is in a real bind under center. With only two healthy quarterbacks on the roster (senior Jack Coan is still out recovering from foot surgery), redshirt sophomore quarterback Danny Vanden Boom – the 2017 Gatorade Wisconsin Player of the Year – will get the start if Wolf gets a second positive test, something UW is bracing for considering Mertz did not receive a false positive test result.

Mertz made a sparkling starting debut Friday night, throwing for 248 yards, five touchdowns and only tossed one incompletion in the season-opening 45-7 win over Illinois. He was named the Big Ten’s co-offensive player of the week and the freshman of the week, but now will have to sit for three weeks and undergo extensive cardiac testing to investigate any long-term conditions that are side effects from the virus, including myocarditis.

Vanden Boom has thrown one pass for a 3-yard touchdown in a 2018 game against New Mexico. He did not appear in any games last season while Mertz and Wolf backed up Coan.