Wisconsin Football: Is it Graham Mertz time following Alex Hornibrook departure?

After hearing the news of Alex Hornibrook’s transfer, Wisconsin football fans had to be thinking about Graham Mertz’s potential takeover.

There comes a time in every young player’s career where they’re given an opportunity and forced to seize it. Did Graham Mertz’s first true opportunity come slightly earlier than most?

It seems that was as Wisconsin football lost presumed starting quarterback Alex Hornibrook on Wednesday as it was announced that his name was in the transfer portal and he was no longer with the program.

It’s hard to remember a more hyped — and intriguing — quarterback prospect for Wisconsin in the past decade not named Russell Wilson who happened to be a transfer from NC State.

Mertz has just about all the intangibles you’d want to see from your starting quarterback, including the ability to lead. He has a strong arm, was named an All-American and was an Elite 11 quarterback finalist.

The incoming freshman is calm in the pocket and throws an effortless deep ball. He is usually always on the mark and that’s music to Wisconsin fans’ ears.

Hornibrook was fairly inconsistent with his accuracy and didn’t have the strongest arm. He struggled against the rush and often made silly mistakes. He was still a solid leader which will be a tough thing to lose heading into 2019, but Mertz could be ‘the guy’ for the Badgers.

Who does he have to compete with? I’d say Jack Coan is his biggest competition strictly due to experience followed by Chase Wolf and Danny Vanden Boom.

In the end, the fact that Mertz is an early enrollee and will have the playbook memorized by the spring game helps his case. It all depends on how well he adjusts to the increased speed and improved defenses at the next level, but this kid has All-Big Ten written all over him.

Don’t look now, folks, but it could be Mertz time in Madison in 2019.