Badgers by position: Alex Hornibrook, undisputed No. 1 quarterback, ready to lead UW

Second in a nine-part Badgers by Position series.

MADISON – One segment of quarterback Alex Hornibrook’s off-season work involved meeting with Wisconsin coach Paul Chryst and Jon Budmayr, who is preparing for his second season as quality control assistant working with the offense.

Their goal: to thoroughly critique Hornibrook’s first season at UW, which included nine Big Ten starts. 

“We talked about every single area,” Hornibrook said. “Obviously, you can improve in every single area. But there’s a lot of things every quarterback works on – timing, rhythm, reading coverages and pocket awareness.”

The degree to which Hornibrook improves in 2017 will affect the efficiency of the offense, which generated 28.4 points per game last season. That was the No. 5 mark in the Big Ten and marked the second consecutive season in which UW failed to average at least 34 points per game.

Hornibrook showed promise as a redshirt freshman in 2016 and enters camp as the undisputed starter.

“He went through the whole winter thinking he was the guy,” Chryst said. “That is what I like about Alex. ... I think he is confident in a lot of things, and he also is realistic to see a lot of areas he can get better.”

After serving as Bart Houston’s backup for the first three games last season, Hornibrook took over as the starter for the Big Ten opener at Michigan State.

Hornibrook played from start to finish in the first three league games before the staff began using Houston to accentuate his strengths and ease some of Hornibrook's burden.

Houston got the start in the finale, a 24-16 victory over Western Michigan in the Cotton Bowl and was fabulous with 11 completions in 12 attempts, for 159 yards.

Hornibrook played just two series, one in each half. His 8-yard touchdown pass to Troy Fumagalli, on third and 6, helped UW take a 24-10 lead with 12 minutes, 26 seconds left in the game.

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Offensive coordinator Joe Rudolph noticed an increased level of confidence from the first day of spring ball.

“It’s not words, lines on the page,” he said. “He is excited to bring things to life. It is really steadying for this offense.”

Hornibrook, 6 foot 4 and 215 pounds, began his preparation for the ’17 season by attending George Whitfield’s quarterback camp in San Diego.

The staples of the instruction include refining the player’s base and setup so he can throw with accuracy, power and touch.

“That is a big thing for me, getting my base right and not getting too tall in the pocket,” Hornibrook said. “That will help with movement, throws, everything.”

Hornibrook acknowledges arm strength isn’t his No. 1 asset as a quarterback and says in the same breath he doesn’t care.

“I think accuracy and timing can work hand in hand with arm strength,” he explained. “Obviously, there are some throws you need to (zip) it in there. And I can do that. 

“It is never the first thing you hear somebody talk about when you’re talking about a quarterback. 

“I feel great throwing every single throw. I haven’t seen a throw that I can’t make. Any time you can’t put enough juice on the ball if you throw it early it will get there at the same time.

“It is all about anticipation, timing and being able to read space.”

Hornibrook finished with a modest 58.6% completion rate and nearly as many interceptions (seven) as touchdown passes (nine).

He believes the experience he gained from playing 12 games last season, plus the off-season work he put in, particularly studying video, will allow him to play quicker in 2017.

“I’m seeing things differently than I did last year,” he said, noting he has to avoid sacks and utilize his check-downs. “Those games on the big stage were good for me.”

It was no surprise when Chryst in the spring declared Hornibrook the No. 1 quarterback.
UW’s other three quarterbacks are Kare’ Lyles, who redshirted last season; freshman Jack Coan, who enrolled early and participated in spring practice; and freshman Danny Vanden Broom, who helped guide Kimberly to a 28-0 record and two WIAA state titles in his two seasons as a starter.

“I didn’t give it a second thought,” Hornibrook said about being named the No. 1 quarterback to open the spring. “You’re trying to be as good as you can be every single play and know every read. You’re not thinking about if you’re starting or not."

QUARTERBACKS AT A GLANCE

Projected starter: Alex Hornibrook, 6-foot-4, 213-pound, sophomore.

Key reserves: Kare’ Lyles, 6-0, 212, freshman; and Jack Coan, 6-3, 202, freshman.
Other to watch: Danny Vanden Boom, 6-5, 197, freshman.

INSIDE THE HUDDLE 

UW needed two quarterbacks last season but had the luxury of using Hornibrook and fifth-year senior Bart Houston, who started the Cotton Bowl and played his best overall game at UW.

If UW needs to turn to a reserve this season, that player will have zero college experience. 

Lyles has gotten more work in UW’s system in practice than Coan. However, Coan gained by participating in spring practice and appears to have the potential to win the backup job this season.