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Wisconsin Football: Alex Hornibrook the right short-term option

By Connor Muldowney

Dec 3, 2016; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Wisconsin Badgers quarterback Alex Hornibrook (12) prior to the game the Big Ten Championship college football game against Penn State at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 3, 2016; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Wisconsin Badgers quarterback Alex Hornibrook (12) prior to the game the Big Ten Championship college football game against Penn State at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports /
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According to reports, Wisconsin football coach Paul Chryst has named sophomore Alex Hornibrook the starting quarterback.

The 2017 college football season doesn’t start for another five and a half months, but it’s never too early to name a starting quarterback. In fact, Wisconsin football coach Paul Chryst has named sophomore Alex Hornibrook the team’s starter for 2017.

According to the Wisconsin State Journal, Hornibrook has been named the starting quarterback about five and a half months before the start of the 2017 season.

Is this the right choice? It’s too early to tell if this is just to silence the distractions or if Chryst truly believes that Hornibrook will hold onto the job all spring and summer long. He has some competition behind him in redshirt freshman Kare’ Lyles who many have high expectations for.

Lyles is probably not ready to take the reigns, but one thing that could change the outlook of the entire quarterback battle is the transfer of former Notre Dame quarterback Malik Zaire. There are rumors that the dual-threat is choosing between North Carolina and Wisconsin, but Florida may have jumped into the mix. Expect a decision from him in mid-April.

The only way Hornibrook would lose his starting job before the season is if Zaire came in and really took control right away. However, learning an entirely new playbook in a short amount of time won’t be easy, so that’s not likely.

However, don’t count him out as the replacement if Hornibrook struggles. The sophomore quarterback doesn’t have the strongest arm which is why he was benched near the end of the 2016 season for Bart Houston.

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For now, Hornibrook is the right option, but if Wisconsin lands Zaire this offseason, he needs to be given a fair shot. The sophomore will have a short leash this season no matter what, though.

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