Jack Coan to Wisconsin: Badgers Land 3-Star QB Prospect

The Wisconsin Badgers received a verbal commitment from 3-star quarterback Jack Coan out of West Sayville, New York, on Thursday, per 247Sports.

Coan, a junior, is the third-ranked player from his home state, the 18th-ranked pro-style quarterback and the 398th-ranked player in the 2017 class, according to 247Sports' composite rankings.

It was a bit of a surprise, at least to 247Sports, which gave the Northwestern Wildcats a 75 percent chance to land him and the Rutgers Scarlet Knights a 25 percent chance.

Instead, the Badgers nabbed him despite schools such as the Michigan Wolverines, Miami Hurricanes, Louisville Cardinals and Nebraska Cornhuskers extending offers.

According to Ross Jacobson of the Wisconsin State Journal, Coan is the fifth recruit in the Badgers' 2017 class and the only one to reside outside Wisconsin. The 6'3" 190-pounder managed to grab the attention of coaches from across the nation despite playing in an area not known for top recruits, per Chris Johnson of Sports Illustrated:

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New York’s Long Island does not produce many Division I football prospects, but the recent buzz surrounding the Sayville High product forced recruitniks to sit up and take notice. An initial scholarship offer set off a month-long stretch in which Coan ascended from under-the-radar talent to projected Power Five starter. His rise cannot be fully appreciated without considering the work it took to engineer it.

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His father, Mike, enjoyed watching his son excel at the Rivals Five-Star Challenge in the summer. "It’s a father’s dream," he said, per Johnson.

Badgers starter Joel Stave graduated this season, and backup Bart Houston will be a senior next season. So the Badgers will likely have a battle at the quarterback position during Coan's freshman season in 2017.

Wisconsin has two freshman quarterbacks on its roster—Alex Hornibrook and Kare Lyles—as well as sophomore Bobby Dunn.