When trying to assess the overall ability of a football team you have to look for the strengths and weaknesses. For Wisconsin, the quarterback play has always been the biggest question mark surrounding the program. It’s simple really, good teams almost always have good quarterbacks, and bad teams usually have bad ones. UW teams of the past have won Rose Bowls without stud quarterbacks but we Badger fans have always wondered what this program could accomplish if a prolific passer was added to a strong rushing attack. For years the Badgers have taken the field with “game managers” under center but that mentality finally appears to be on its way out.
In 2008 it was Curt Phillips, a four-star, dual threat quarterback from Tennessee who committed to UW and got everyone all excited. Fans saw glimpses of Phillips’ potential at the 2009 spring game and his rare combination of size and athletic ability energized Badger nation. Many thought Phillips would be the sure-fire QB of the future, but in the 2009 recruiting class the Badgers reeled in another elite passer. This time it was Jon Budmayr, a strong-armed, fluid pocket passer from Illinois who committed to UW. Budmayr had an offer from Notre Dame, his childhood dream school, but he felt the Badgers were a perfect fit.
In back to back years the Wisconsin coaching staff was able to bring in elite QB prospects, and a position that was once considered void of any talent now has some promising young signal callers listed on the depth chart. The coaching staff sees a lot of potential in both Phillips and Budmayr and both have bright futures ahead of them. But despite the recent influx of talent, UW has added yet another top-flight QB prospect to the roster.
The staff only planned on signing one QB for the class of 2010 and they got the kid that was No. 1 one their board. Joseph Brennan, a 6-foot-4, 178-pound prospect from Cherry Hill NJ., recently gave a verbal commitment to the Wisconsin staff. That is now three years in a row of exceptional recruits at the QB position. Not bad for a fan base that has been starving for a multi-year starter at quarterback.
Brennan is a tall pocket passer who has a rocket arm and coaches say he has been a great leader throughout his high school career. He can make all the throws and the thing that really impressed me in his film was his pocket mobility. Brennan isn’t the fastest guy, but he is athletic enough to avoid the rush while keeping his eyes downfield.
The New Jersey native had notable offers from Rutgers, Pittsburgh, and Miami, but he became a Badger in the end. I am actually from New Jersey and I know that everyone loves to rip on the garden state, but now every Badger fan can honestly say that Jersey is good for something – me and Joseph Brennan. Next time you take a stab at New Jersey keep in mind that that very state has now given UW an enthusiastic young sports writer and a talented pocket passer. Just throwing it out there.
In all seriousness, Brennan is a huge recruit for UW as he was the quarterback that the staff targeted early on. The east coast is home to plenty of exceptional high school football players and a return to that area would be a big step for the program. Barry Alvarez always had a strong connection to the northeast and he was able to bring in solid football players from that part of the country year after year. Bret Bielema is beginning to widen his recruiting scope and it’s clearly paying off.