Badger of Honor
Fansided

Alex Hornibrook just missed USA Today’s top 10 list

By Tanner Nestle

BLOOMINGTON, IN - NOVEMBER 04: Alex Hornibrook #12 of the Wisconsin Badgers looks to pass in the second quarter of a game against the Indiana Hoosiers at Memorial Stadium on November 4, 2017 in Bloomington, Indiana. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
BLOOMINGTON, IN - NOVEMBER 04: Alex Hornibrook #12 of the Wisconsin Badgers looks to pass in the second quarter of a game against the Indiana Hoosiers at Memorial Stadium on November 4, 2017 in Bloomington, Indiana. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

USA Today made a list of the top 10 quarterbacks in the country. Wisconsin’s Alex Hornibrook just missed the cut.

Badger of Honor broke down a Top 25 quarterbacks list earlier this summer from Sporting News that had no mention of Alex Hornibrook. We took some issue with that and did what we could to set the record straight. USA Today came out with their own, much smaller, list recently. Even though Hornibrook wasn’t named in the top 10, he was given an honorable mention.

The top 10 quarterbacks in the country, according to USA Today, are as follows:

  1. Trace McSorley, Penn State
  2. McKenzie Milton, UCF
  3. Ryan Finley, North Carolina State
  4. Will Grier, West Virginia
  5. Jarrett Stidham, Auburn
  6. Justin Herbert, Oregon
  7. Drew Lock, Missouri
  8. Khalil Tate, Arizona
  9. Jake Fromm, Georgia
  10. Jake Browning, Washington

The five honorable mentions alongside Hornibrook are Jake Bentley (South Carolina), Kyler Murray (Oklahoma), Tua Tagovailoa (Alabama) and Clayton Thorson (Northwestern). USA Today didn’t offer any comments about Hornibrook.

Hornibrook not being on this list isn’t as great of an omission since this list is small. Plus, he was at least recognized for his efforts. Hornibrook is one of the most successful quarterbacks in the country. His numbers aren’t glamorous, but he gets the job done when it matters.

The problem with these lists is the numbers aren’t always going to be there for Hornibrook like they are for other quarterbacks. Grier plays in an offense that has him throwing more often than not. Others like McSorley and Stidham are going to have more impressive rushing stats. And then guys like Finley and Lock, who may not win as often as Hornibrook, are seen as better pro prospects so they get the benefit of the doubt in some cases.

Wisconsin Football - Alex Hornibrook
INDIANAPOLIS, IN – DECEMBER 02: Quarterback Alex Hornibrook #12 (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /

How Hornibrook can make this list next year

You can make solid arguments either way that Hornibrook does or doesn’t deserve to be on these kinds of lists. But the best argument for him is the potential he has.

Only going into his redshirt-junior season, he has basically two full years of starting experience under his belt. In that time he’s helped lead one of the best teams in the country. This year, he’s going to have tons of help to do even better. I can predict already that Hornibrook will get very little credit for whatever the Wisconsin offense does. But, it’s set up to be his best season as a Badger by far.

Hornibrook is going to be protected by the best offensive line in the nation, and aided by perhaps the best running back in the nation too. His receivers are as good as they’ve ever been at Wisconsin, and Paul Chryst should be opening up the playbook for him.

Next: Top 10 Wisconsin Badgers in the NFL

Expect a major step forward for Hornibrook in 2018. Come next year around this time, his name should be all over these lists.