Jack Coan could start for Wisconsin Football vs. Northwestern

Alex Hornibrook may be concussed meaning Jack Coan could start this weekend for Wisconsin Football.

In the least desirable fashion, Wisconsin football fans could be getting their wish this weekend. There is word floating around that Alex Hornibrook has a concussion and the team is preparing for Jack Coan to potentially start against Northwestern.

What would this mean for the Badgers, Coan, and Hornibrook moving forward?

The answer, likely not much. Hornibrook performed well enough against Illinois last weekend amidst some bad throws to solidify his job moving forward. It was going to take a lot for him to prove otherwise against Illinois at home.

For Coan, he’ll finally get a shot under center. Unfortunately, it’s unlikely the Badgers do anything besides run the ball about eight million times this weekend in that case. Coan will surely need to make a throw here or there, but Paul Chryst will draw up safe plays for the sophomore in what would be his first career start.

The Badgers will get to see what they have behind Hornibrook in a limited sample size. This changeup at quarterback means more to fans than to the coaching staff though. I find it hard to believe there’s any thought that Hornibrook’s job is in danger with so few games left in the season.

For those fans concerned about Coan starting on the road, don’t be. I get the idea that Coan should be somehow worse than Hornibrook because he’s the backup, but that’s not always how it works in college. Coan is younger, less experienced, and behind one of the most solid and consistent starters in the country. Just because he’s behind Hornibrook doesn’t mean Coan is a bad quarterback.

Backup quarterbacks can be great in college football. One extreme example is Alabama’s Tua Tagovailoa who came in as a backup to win the national championship game. I’m not saying Coan is going to become a Heisman Trophy candidate as Tagovailoa has, but there are more reasons than strictly talent that leave certain quarterbacks listed low on the depth chart.

I hope Coan plays and I hope he gets a chance to show off his passing ability at least a few times this weekend. Hornibrook will be back when he’s healthy, but we need to see what the Badgers have behind Hornibrook at some point.