MADISON, Wis. -- The temptation is to call Graham Mertz a pioneer. Top-shelf quarterback recruits like him simply don't wind up at Wisconsin.
In the past 15 years, Wisconsin has signed some notable quarterbacks -- Bart Houston, D.J. Gillins, Austin Kafentzis, Curt Phillips -- but none who ranked in the ESPN 300 or its predecessor, the ESPN 150. Even Russell Wilson, the quarterback to whom Wisconsin fans compare all others, didn't approach Mertz's accolades as a high school prospect. (Wilson transferred to Wisconsin from NC State in the summer of 2011.)
Mertz, meanwhile, is ranked ESPN's No.