The University of Wisconsin has never been a quarterback school.<\/p>\n
There have been a few notables here and there. For example, there\u2019s Russell Wilson (now the NFL\u2019s highest paid player<\/a>) and also brief Aaron Rodgers replacement<\/a> Scott Tolzien. But the Badgers are usually lauded for their running backs and offensive linemen, not QBs. And Wilson was a graduate transfer. So it\u2019s been a long time since the Badgers have had a potentially transcendent recruit under center.<\/p>\n Enter Graham Mertz. The true freshman from Overland Park, Kansas is currently behind junior Jack Coan on the depth chart, so he\u2019s the rare backup to be recently featured by ESPN<\/a>. The headline calls him \u201cWisconsin\u2019s most hyped QB since Russell Wilson.\u201d<\/p>\n The teenager has racked up honors like Meryl Streep does Oscars. Mertz is the No. 1 pocket passer in his class and the No. 21 recruit overall. He was the Gatorade Player of the Year in Kansas. And it\u2019s possible Mertz scared Alex Hornibrook away<\/a> from Madison entirely. (It\u2019s tough to blame Hornibrook if that\u2019s the case.)<\/span>\n