2019 Wisconsin fall camp preview: Who rises up to start at quarterback?

In less than a month, Wisconsin begins fall camp leading up to the 2019 season opener against South Florida.

BadgerBlitz.com starts its positional preview series with what will arguably be the most watched position in the coming weeks. The spring allowed Wisconsin quarterbacks to compete for snaps come August while also continuing their personal development.

"Once it comes fall camp, now you’re transitioning to where you’re preparing for the season. You got three weeks and really you got about 20 practices to do that and so there’s limited reps," quarterbacks coach Jon Budmayr said in mid-April. "There’s not endless opportunities, and the guys get that. They know that, that’s why this is such a big spring for the whole group but, absolutely, you’re identifying ‘OK now once we get into the fall, how do those reps get split up,’ and you certainly earn them. You earn the right for more reps in the fall by how we do in the spring but we’re still trying to learn each day and get better and improve.

"That’s what I’ve loved about the group is their approach has been just that.”

Now, who earned those fall camp reps, and who will land the starting spot against the Bulls under the lights at Raymond James Stadium on Aug. 30?

It should be interesting who grabs those snaps in August, and I think that Wisconsin believes it has a talented and viable quarterback room with the four solid options. The question: Who will best lead the offense under center heading into this season?

When asked about how far along Graham Mertz was compared to other true freshmen quarterbacks, offensive coordinator Joe Rudolph liked where the first-year player was and praised him for competing and making plays when opportunities arose.

Yet he also called out the entire quarterback room.

"You know what, that whole group - I think I was just talking to [Budmayr] about it - and I said I don’t remember where all four guys you feel like you would go into the game and you know what you would get," Rudolph told reporters on April 16. "They would be themselves. They would compete. That huddle would have confidence in them when they’re speaking, and they would have a hold of it, so I think that’s a compliment to him and that group."

During a Q&A session at the Legends of Wisconsin Classic at University Ridge on June 25, however, the Wisconsin State Journal's Jason Galloway tweeted this from junior running back Jonathan Taylor:

The educated guess as to whom those two are starts with junior Jack Coan. From the seven of the eight open practices I saw during the spring, Coan's reps were all with the presumed first-team offense.

In mid-April, Budmayr praised Coan's approach from winter conditioning to that portion of spring practices. After the second-to-last Friday practice, both Wolf and Vanden Boom noted the junior's leadership and experience, respectively. Mertz also recalled how he reached out to Coan during film sessions in terms of looking at reads.

On the field during the last two Fridays of spring ball, Coan appeared to show more in the passing game in driving the ball downfield, especially during the last practice on April 26. In that session, he hit senior wide receiver A.J. Taylor on a couple deep throws that resulted in touchdown passes to running back Garrett Groshek. He also found Taylor on a pretty fourth down back shoulder throw that beat cornerback Faion Hicks for six.

“I definitely feel more comfortable coming into this year," Coan told reporters on April 19 when asked if he feels different about his role this year. "I feel like you get more comfortable as you get more playing experience, so I’d say that’s the biggest thing.”

The final practice can leave a lasting impression, so there is concession of recency bias here, and it was just one session to cap off the spring for the Long Island native. For the rest of the open practices, however, Coan did not appear to lose any ground to the other quarterbacks with his performances. Though, admittedly, maybe did not pop out more as one might think with his experience playing in high-stakes moments. During some scrimmage sessions, it appeared the coaching staff also pulled him to let the other signal callers receive more reps as well.

With having the most game-time experience of the group, along with his spring showing, Coan should be competing for the starting spot.

So who's after him? Based on his spring production and the skillset he showed, it absolutely feels like Mertz will have the chance to make a move during camp. Admittedly all eyes were on how the four-star early enrollee, whose hype train skyrocketed after an MVP performance in the 2019 All-American Bowl.

A player who should have been finishing up his senior year in college now worked to dissect opposing defenses at a strikingly different speed and complexity.

“I think he’s grasped the offense well. Everything we’re asking him to digest, he’s digested it well and now it’s just a matter of getting reps at it so that those windows become real and the timing becomes real," Budmayr said on April 16. "But one thing is he doesn’t have to think too much when he throws. He’s an accurate passer, and the ball goes where he wants it to go. Now it’s just a matter of adjusting to some of the speeds, some of the windows that get a little bit tighter at this level.

"Once he gets that, I think he’ll grow even more comfortable, but I’ve loved his approach, as with the whole group."

Maybe most impressively, Mertz did not look out of place at all among the three other members of the position group. He also showcased his strong arm, especially throwing out patterns, extended plays and led some impressive touchdown drives with the offense.

"He has stepped up in the offense better than I could expect," Wolf said on April 19. "He shows confidence when he’s out there, and he’s just really talented. I think the thing about him is that he is very confident in his ability and that has led to him to have some good drives out here and to have a great spring practice.”

Mertz produced promising results in his first semester on campus, but like the other quarterbacks, he made mistakes as well. Instantly off the top of the head, a couple of throws reeled in by true freshman inside linebacker Leo Chenal for interceptions come to mind.

In having the ability to extend plays, Budmayr also noted Mertz would be the first to admit he did not have to do so on some of the plays during a particular Saturday practice.

In the spring as well, players are able to ingest plays, go over film in the next day or two to correct mistakes, then head back out to practice. Fall camp will likely involve more playbook install at a faster pace. Can Mertz continue to digest and pick up more of the offense at a heightened rate?

Despite the hype, the young signal caller does not appear to have a bloated image of his potential.

"I got room for improvement," Mertz said on April 19. "I got a lot of stuff I got to learn, got a lot of stuff to grow, but I’m just trying to be a sponge right now and grow as much as possible.”

Though a lot of talk may be centered upon Coan and Mertz, Wolf and Vanden Boom showed flashes of their skillsets as well.

Wolf very well may be the most dynamic player in that room with his mobility paired with an extremely strong arm - perhaps the strongest of the four based on spring ball performances. Both were on notice at times in the spring. The redshirt freshman admitted his decision making "isn't up to standard," and Budmayr noted earlier in the month that though his pupil can make every throw, it is now a matter of when to make them.

"You got to remember with Chase this is his first spring ball, and so he’s getting the biggest amount of work that he’s had up to this point," Budmayr said, "and I’ve loved his approach and the way that he’s gotten into it and been in the moment and tried to learn from mistakes. He’s done a great job of that and now we just got to keep progressing."

For Vanden Boom, who has the most game-time experience of those outside of Coan in this position battle heading into the season, Budmayr believes the redshirt sophomore knows what throws he can and cannot make, and when he's able to, he'll unload. Mertz also called out how Vanden Boom is "very clean in his mental game, so he knows where he's going every play with every coverage."

The media was able to speak with all four quarterbacks on April 19. Despite competing for reps during those spring practices, there honestly felt like a warmth amongst this group of four. Wolf used the words "brother" and "bond" when describing the relationship between them. Mertz said they all "love each other, and we want to grow as a group, and we think that competition will bring us to the best level that we can be."

"It’s just a really good group of guys - and I know a lot of people probably say this around the country - but it’s just a really, really tight group and there’s nobody else that I want to be working alongside," Vanden Boom said. "We learn a lot from each other, like you said, a lot of guys getting a bunch of reps. It’s valuable to get reps yourself, but it’s also important to make sure you’re learning from other guys’ reps and going there.

"It’s just a really good, down to earth, humble group of guys, and I’ve really appreciated the opportunity to work alongside them."