What is Wisconsin football going to look like in 2019?

Sure, we know the Badgers will play smash-mouth football. Jonathan Taylor to the left, Jonathan Taylor to the right. He’ll get plenty of carries to amass over 2,000 rushing yards once again.

But what happens once Wisconsin faces an elite defense, or a defense that stacks nine in the box? The Badgers have to throw and steady QB play has haunted the team in Madison for quite some time now.

The lone bright spot a few years ago was when Russell Wilson came to town. Wilson transferred from N.C. State and produced numbers that Wisconsin really hasn’t seen before.

Wilson was a big-time get for the Badgers back then. But, it’s 2019 now.

There is a QB battle going on in camp between junior Jack Coan and incoming freshman Graham Mertz. Last season, Coan completed just over 60 percent of his passes on 5.5 yards per attempt. Coan finished with 5 TD and 3 INT.

Who is Mertz?

If you haven’t heard by now, you’re late to the party. But, that’s OK. Mertz is legitimately Wisconsin’s biggest incoming QB prospect ever. No QB has ever been as highly-touted.

Mertz is a 4-star prospect and ranks as the No. 3 pro-style QB in his class. Regardless of position, he ranks No. 65 in the entire country.

Everybody is excited to see what a legitimate QB can do in Wisconsin. We’ve seen it before with Wilson. Now, it’s time for Mertz.

Right?

Not yet:

As of Thursday, Coan looks to be the team’s No. 1 QB. Wisconsin’s 2019 season begins in 22 days. There isn’t much time from now until then.

If Coan is getting the bulk of his work as the No. 1 man in charge and Mertz is just splitting the rest, this may be very telling as to who starts under center for the Badgers against USF on Aug. 30.

Are Badger fans happy with how this is playing out so far?