Wisconsin redshirt innovative quarterback Graham Mertz has tested positive for COVID-19 over the weekend. That positive COVID-19 result has since been confirmed with another test, a source told CBS Sports on Tuesday. As such, Mertz will miss Wisconsin’s game against Nebraska this weekend and will be out of the total 21-day proceedings per Big Ten protocol for the COVID-19 positive.
Mertz, dubbed the “quarterback of the future” in Madison, Wisconsin, last Friday night when he threw for 248 yards, five touchdowns and achieved just one impending season in a 45-7 win over Illinois. .
He will now have to sit out for three weeks according to the coronavirus protocol established after Big Ten returned to play. Mertz will also have to undergo extensive cardiac testing to investigate any long-term conditions that could be caused by COVID-19, including myocarditis.
Wisconsin released a statement Sunday evening stating it would not disclose information regarding specific student-athletes. The school neither confirmed nor denied Mertz’s positive test. The school said there were no individuals who tested positive for COVID-19 on antigen tests or had related symptoms before Friday’s game.
Mertz’s absence would have put a huge strain on the redshirt softmore backup Chase Wolf; However, Wolf has also tested positive for COVID-19 and is awaiting test confirmation. Fourth Stringer Danny Wanden Boom is expected to be the next man if needed. In his career, Wenden Boom has thrown a pass for 3 yards in the 2018 game against New Mexico.
Wisconsin will play Nebraska, vs. Purdue, and No. 13 Michigan over the next three weeks.
Mertz’s arrival as a star was huge for the Badgers, who lost returning starter Jack Conn during the fall camp with a leg injury. In the 2019 class, Mertz was a four-star quarterback and number 65 overall.
Barrett Sally of CBS Sports contributed to this report.
The cover 3 discusses the absence of Mertz in the podcast and what Wisconsin would do next without him.
