Rumors of Coan’s injury floated online Saturday, and a UW official confirmed the injury Sunday afternoon. The  Milwaukee Journal Sentinel first reported the news Sunday morning.

Coan did not practice on Sunday. The severity of the injury is not known at this time, but Journal Sentinel sources say that Coan will undergo surgery and is expected to miss extended time. 

If Coan isn’t ready to play when the year begins the weekend of Oct. 24, options at quarterback include redshirt freshman Graham Mertz, sophomore Chase Wolf and junior Danny Vanden Boom. Mertz, the highest-rated QB recruit in the program’s history, played in two games last year, early-season blowouts against Central Michigan and Kent State. He tallied 73 yards on 9 of 10 passing, while rushing for 6 yards on two attempts.

Coan’s injury is a significant blow for an offense that lacks experience at the skill positions and was going to rely on his steady play to bring those young players along.

“He’s got a great understanding of who he is right now in each different area. His growth in some areas is little things, but you also think those can be big, whether it’s anticipation or the way to throw a certain ball, there’s always going to be that work that needs to be done,” UW coach Paul Chryst said of Coan last week.

“I’ve loved his approach and how he’s taken care of his business. (He’s) also been around enough and he cares a ton about the team and how to help lead and help everyone on this team be the best they can be. I think it’s how he views his role.”

Coan is 12-6 as a starter for UW. He passed for 2,727 yards and 18 touchdowns last season. He completed 69.6 percent of his passes and his passer efficiency rating of 151.8 ranked 19th in the nation a year ago.

Coaches were anticipating a good year from Coan, as he’d taken steps forward as a passer.

“I would say the No. 1 thing that I see from him is the anticipation. You kind of see it in his eyes. He’s seeing it deeper, and he’s seeing the play-call deeper as it comes in. His anticipation has been really good,” offensive coordinator Joe Rudolph said. “His leadership was always outstanding, his confidence in what he needed to do. But I think there’s a layer of understanding that’s right now helping him to anticipate better than he ever has. So I’m excited about that.”

Preparation time has been altered due to the postponement of the Big Ten Conference football season. If Coan misses extended time, his replacement will have about three weeks of practices to get ready to start for the Badgers.

Throughout the 2019 season and in the lead up to this year, teammates have heralded Coan as a strong leader. Now it appears that leadership will have to come from the sideline as opposed to the huddle. 

"Jack’s come a long way, just football IQ off the charts. You can tell that with the production that he’s had, how he’s limited turnovers, and always knows where to go with the football," senior running back Garrett Groshek said.

"He’s stepped up as a leader, for sure. I think a lot of it just came from the respect of the way that he’d been playing. I think guys know that they can look to him whether it’s for answers or energy or things like that, because Jack’s always so consistent and brings the same juice every day."

Badgers in the NFL: Week 3