Tag: jack coan injury

REPORT: QB Jack Coan is back at practice and cleared to play

Back in early October Wisconsin starting quarterback Jack Coan broke his foot at practice and was declared out indefinitely…

Back in early October, Wisconsin starting quarterback Jack Coan broke his foot at practice and was declared out indefinitely.

That was almost exactly two months ago, a time when the outlook of the Badgers’ season was a lot different and before three of the team’s first six games were canceled due to COVID-19 outbreaks.

Related: Wisconsin QB Graham Mertz is ‘pumped’ to see Jack Coan get back to healthy

According to a report from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s Jeff Potrykus, Coan has now returned to practice and has been cleared to play in Saturday’s game against Indiana, if needed.

Though it’s unknown whether he will reclaim the starting job on Saturday, Coan’s return means a healthy quarterback room for Paul Chryst and his team as they enter the final stretch of their schedule.

 

More work:

Report: Michigan vs. Ohio State is in serious jeopardy, which if true could create a Buckeye–Badger postseason contest

Opinion: A Big Ten rule is close to taking away the remaining credibility of the 2020 season

Five keys to a Wisconsin victory over Indiana on Saturday

Team preview: Indiana Hoosiers

HC Paul Chryst discusses the possibility of Michael Penix Jr. missing Saturday’s contest

Wisconsin QB Graham Mertz is ‘pumped’ to see Jack Coan get back to healthy

One of the forgotten storylines of the 2020 Wisconsin Badgers is the foot injury to senior quarterback Jack Coan back in early October…

One of the forgotten storylines of the 2020 Wisconsin Badgers is the foot injury to senior quarterback Jack Coan back in early October.

His story was caught up in the team’s 45-7 victory against Illinois, the COVID-19 outbreak within the program, the three weeks in between games and their 49-11 onslaught of the Michigan Wolverines. However, Coan was in line to be the starter this season and not much has been said about when he will return to the field.

In good news for Coan’s injury and his possible path to returning, the senior quarterback was out on the field before the game this weekend throwing passes and moving around without a boot on his foot.

Redshirt freshman quarterback Graham Mertz — a player who has a completion percentage of 74.4, 375 yards, 7 touchdowns and 0 interceptions through his first two starts — talked yesterday about Coan’s status and his mindset in his recovery.

“I see him in there working every day in the training room,” Mertz said. “He’s pushing himself and I’m happy to see him recovering…His edge of working back to get healthy has been great.”

Related: Wisconsin’s bowl history over the past 20 years

Mertz continued to cite the senior’s work ethic during his rehab, while also noting his hard work hasn’t just appeared after his injury.

“He’s always had the same work ethic,” Mertz said. “It’s not ‘Oh, I got injured now I have to work.’ He’s always had that work ethic and I think our group as a whole has always had that work ethic.”

The redshirt freshman finished by saying he is “pumped to see him getting back to healthy.”

Related: Studs and duds from the Badgers’ onslaught of the Michigan Wolverines

Here is the full clip of the interview:

Mertz and the Badgers will be back in action on Saturday in Evanston, Illinois, against the 4-0 and No. 19-ranked Northwestern Wildcats.

It seems unlikely Coan will have reached 100 percent by then, and, therefore, it is unlikely he will suit up and be available. Whether he starts at quarterback when he returns is yet to be seen, though there are definitely promising signs surrounding his return and the team is happy to be getting him back.

 

Gameday work:

HC Paul Chryst gives an update on QB Jack Coan’s status

Back on October 4 Wisconsin senior quarterback Jack Coan injured his foot at practice and was declared out indefinitely…

Back on October 4 Wisconsin senior quarterback Jack Coan injured his foot at practice and was declared out indefinitely.

Coan was in line to start this season, and by many measures was lining up to be the best player the program has had at the position since Russell Wilson.

We all know what redshirt freshman Graham Mertz did in his absence, completing 20 of 21 passes for 248 yards and 5 touchdowns against Illinois. But Coan may remain in the quarterback mix when he is able to return.

Related: Can Graham Mertz play this Saturday?

There haven’t been any updates since the injury about Coan’s status, or a concrete timeline of when he can return to the field.

That, until today, when Head Coach Paul Chryst was asked about the quarterback during his pre-weekend press conference.

“We don’t have a specific timeline,” Chryst said. “He’s been able to do more. He’s at that point now where it’s been for a little bit where you can see the energy in him being able to do more.”

Related: Five keys to a Wisconsin victory over Michigan on Saturday

Whether he will start when he returns is yet to be seen, though Chryst had a positive tone when talking about where the quarterback is in his rehab and his energy level around the facility.

Related: Everything you need to know about the 2020 Michigan Wolverines

How to watch: Illinois vs. Wisconsin

The 14th-ranked Wisconsin Badgers will play their season opener Friday against the Illinois Fighting Illini.

The 14th-ranked Wisconsin Badgers will be playing in their season opener Friday against the Illinois Fighting Illini.

The yearly rivalry will be even more exciting this season, as the Badgers will likely carry their dramatic upset loss to Illinois last season with them in this game. Wisconsin will also have a new quarterback under center as former highly touted recruit Graham Mertz will take over for the injured Jack Coan.

A combination of running backs Garrett Groshek and Nakia Watson will have to replace star running back and Doak Walker Award winner Jonathan Taylor for this season, which could make this game even more interesting to watch.

Illinois will return its star quarterback, Brandon Peters, along with several starters in the receiving group.

Related: BadgersWire Roundtable: Score predictions for week one against Illinois

This game could be a surprisingly close matchup for the Badgers, and will definitely be one for Wisconsin fans to tune in for.

How to watch:

Matchup: Illinois at Wisconsin

Where: Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, Wisc.

When: October 23rd, 2020 at 7 p.m. CDT

Where to watch: Big Ten Network

Announcers:

  • Play-by-Play: Brandon Gaudin
  • Analyst: James Laurinaitis
  • Sideline Reporter: Rick Pizzo

Where to stream: Fox Sports App or on foxsports.com

WATCH: Graham Mertz connects on a beautiful deep ball in practice

Last week Wisconsin starting quarterback Jack Coan went down in practice with a foot injury and is now out indefinitely, giving way to…

Last week Wisconsin starting quarterback Jack Coan went down in practice with a foot injury and is now out indefinitely.

When the news came out, many expected the starter to then be redshirt freshman Graham Mertz, the highest-rated quarterback recruit in program history. Well, in a press conference yesterday Quarterback Coach Jon Budmayr confirmed that sentiment, saying “That’s the path we’re on right now.”

Related: Five takeaways from Coach Budmayr and Graham Mertz’s press conference

So, with Mertz on track to be the Week 1 starter there comes one big thing: practice highlights.

First of all, the pass to wide receiver Danny Davis goes at least 55 yards in the air. Second, it is the exact definition of “thrown on a rope.”

After hearing from the quarterback and his position coach at their press conference, it’s clear that both they and the team are confident in what Mertz will be able to do when he takes the field and in his ability to lead the team in Coan’s absence.

Related: Mertz and the rest of the quarterback room give high praise to a freshman wide receiver

Here are some more highlights from the practice, including an impressive one-on-one win by freshman wide receiver Chimere Dike.

 

There are now only two weeks until Mertz and the Wisconsin Badgers take the field against the Illinois Fighting Illini. Though there is a question mark surrounding how Mertz will perform in his first collegiate start, videos of 55-yard ropes sure help whatever doubts people may have.

Coach Budmayr and the quarterback room on what it was like seeing Jack Coan go down on Saturday

Earlier today Quarterback Coach Jon Budmayr and quarterbacks Chase Wolf, Danny Vanden Boom and Graham Mertz met with the media…

Earlier today Quarterback Coach Jon Budmayr and quarterbacks Chase Wolf, Danny Vanden Boom and Graham Mertz met with the media and discussed the upcoming season.

Among the topics discussed, understandably, was senior quarterback Jack Coan’s injury last Saturday and what it was like to see him get hurt.

“It was really hard to see him go down. I love that kid,” Coach Budmayr said. “Saturday was a tough day just because of who Jack is and what he brings”

Budmayr continued to note that despite the injury and the impending surgery Coan was still the first one out on the field on Sunday and didn’t stop being a leader.

The guys in the quarterback room shared similar sentiments about Coan as a leader and about his injury.

Wolf, first, noted that he saw Coan limping off the field on Saturday and didn’t know anything was really wrong until they got back to the locker room.

“We got a bit emotional about it because he’s our leader, he’s our guy,” Wolf said. “As much as we want him to be healthy, now that he’s out we have to play for him. We have to do what he would do.”

Vanden Boom when asked a similar question said “Jack’s a special guy, he’s a special player,” and continued to note that he has been like another coach since the injury and that “it’s tough when you lose a guy like Jack.”

When presumed starter Graham Mertz finished the press conference he was asked what Coan has taught him through his play and through his preparation.

“Jack knows every coverage and where he’s going with the ball,” Mertz said, continuing in his comment to note how Coan has helped him grow a lot in that area.

It’s been made clear through testaments from those close to the senior quarterback that the injury was a tough one to see, with his character as a person and as a leader making it even tougher.

All four made sure to mention, though, the work as a leader that Coan has done since the injury with the players on offense and with the whole team, noting that despite the injury he is still out there to help the team succeed and win football games.

Coan’s recovery timeline is not yet known, and it is close to a guarantee that Mertz will lead the Badgers onto the field when they open the season against Illinois later this month. What can be taken away from today, though, is that Coan’s injury means a lot more to the team than just his absence on the football field.

Badgers rise three spots in new AP Poll

With the season now less than three weeks away the Wisconsin Badgers and the rest of the Big Ten are back in the AP Poll and other weekly…

With the season now less than three weeks away the Wisconsin Badgers and the rest of the Big Ten are back in the AP Poll and other weekly rankings.

This week’s edition of the AP Poll has Paul Chryst’s team in at No. 16, three slots above their No. 19 ranking from a week ago.

Much of this movement is due to teams including No. 9 Texas, No. 13 Texas A&M, No. 16 Mississippi State and No. 18 Oklahoma losing their games this weekend.

Most likely not accounted for in the ranking, though, is the news that starting quarterback Jack Coan injured his foot in practice on Saturday and is out indefinitely. How much of the season he’ll be able to play is not yet known, though there it is likely that his absence will have an effect on their next AP ranking.

 

The Badgers will open their season 20 days from now when the Illinois Fighting Illini come to town, most likely doing so without the services of Coan under center.