Published Apr 23, 2018
Spring Wrap-Up: Quarterbacks
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John Veldhuis  •  BadgerBlitz
Senior Writer
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@JohnVeldhuis

Wisconsin's 15 spring practices are in the books, which means it's time to take a look back at what we learned at each position group during camp and see what the Badgers still need to work out before they kick off their 2018 season against Western Kentucky on Friday, Aug. 31.

Our look back at Wisconsin's quarterbacks is included below.

Spring Wrap-Up: Quarterbacks

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What We Learned

Wisconsin's quarterbacks made it through camp without any drama, which is a good thing when you consider that they're bringing back a multi-year starter in Alex Hornibrook who is coming off of a career-best performance in last year's Orange Bowl. As you would expect, Hornibrook got the starter's reps when he was on the field, and the Badgers held him out of the full-contact drills. Sophomore Jack Coan was and will continue to be Hornibrook's primary backup and got work with the first team when Hornibrook and some of the other starters were off the field. All in all it was business as usual for UW - a lot of times in spring camp no news is good news. We'll see if Hornibrook can take what he worked on in the spring (such as improving his footwork and pocket presence) and translate that to more consistent play during his junior season. And with Coan sitting behind him a year after he enrolled early the Badgers have to feel a little better about their depth at the position now than they did at this time last year.

What's Left?

The Badgers got a bit of news in the immediate aftermath of their spring camp when redshirt sophomore quarterback Karé Lyles announced on his Twitter page that he had decided to leave the program - presumably to transfer to a different school where he could compete for playing time. Lyles' decision was unexpected but not that surprising with sophomore Jack Coan having passed him on the depth chart last fall, and redshirt freshman Danny Vanden Boom seemed to be eating in to his reps this spring.

With Lyles' decision to move on, Vanden Boom will presumably be the third quarterback this fall, with incoming freshman Chase Wolf set to join the team over the summer. Wolf is the first UW scholarship quarterback in a few years to join the team before fall camp instead of enrolling early, so he'll have plenty of learning to do when he gets to Madison. But with Hornibrook and Coan felling out the two-deep, both Vanden Boom and Wolf will have time to work on their game and help the program on scout team.

Projected Fall Camp Depth Chart

Projected Quarterback Depth Chart 
PositionPlayer

First String

Alex Hornibrook

Second String

Jack Coan

Third String

Danny Vanden Boom

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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.