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.
