It's another off-season, so that means its time for another spring quarterback race for the
Wisconsin Badgers. Seemingly becoming an annual event, head coach Gary Anderson
and his offensive coordinator Andy Ludwig spoke to reporters earlier this
month, raising speculation that they were open to contenders for what was Joel
Stave's starting position in 2013. Ludwig told a press conference on March
fourth that he was looking forward to a competitive upcoming camp in terms of
the quarterback position. He maintained that, as of now, Stave remains the
returning starter, though he admitted the junior's season-ending broken
collarbone in 2012 and two injuries this year were a concern.
Ludwig's talk of starting quarterback alternatives came as a
surprise to many Wisconsin fans and analysts, who generally assumed that Stave would have all-but clinched the position with his dominating advantage of
experience. A fourth-year junior, the Greenfield native holds a 13-6 record as
the Badgers starter, the position he maintained all of last season and six games
in 2012. His numbers as a full-time starter in 2013 were notable, including 22
touchdowns on a 62 percent completion rate. 13 interceptions were a black mark
on his stat-sheet, though his performance was enough to garner a berth into the
2014 Capital One Bowl.
In his second year at the helm of the program, Anderson
would probably like a starter with at least 500 pass attempts as a Badger.
Unfortunately, the former Utah State head coach inherited a team that has seen
instability at the position for the better half of a decade. Between his two
seasons, Stave leads the four-some competing in this year's race by an
impressive 454 throws. Sophomore Bart Houston claims the only other in-game
experience on the Wisconsin roster, playing in two games last season with one
pass attempted.
Stave and Houston are joined by converted junior safety
Tanner McEvoy and incoming freshman D.J. Gillins in the corps’s spring camp
this year. McEvoy also competed for the starting quarterback position in 2013's
camp, and impressed with his ability to run and throw, but ultimately was moved
back to safety after falling behind. At six-and-a-half feet and 223-pounds,
McEvoy told reporters that he felt much more confident going into this year's
competition with more muscle and a solid year in the program. Ludwig and
Anderson reflected that confidence, both acknowledging that they are excited
about the prospects advances over a year ago.
Ludwig's thoughts on the young Gillins were a bit more
blunt. The Jacksonville native was an early enrollee at Wisconsin just a month
ago when he signed with the team on national signing day. Though one of the
most touted prospects in the country, Ludwig told reports that Gillins should
not worry about becoming the starter his freshman season.
