Wisconsin QB Graham Mertz has arrived in Lexington

Make that two top quarterback transfer targets taking official visits to Kentucky this week. First, it was North Carolina State standout Devin Leary in Lexington to open the week, a trip that left the UK coaching staff feeling “very good” about where things stood.

Now, it’s Wisconsin quarterback Graham Mertz‘s turn in Lexington, arriving Friday for an official visit of his own. The former top-100 recruit previously took a trip to Gainesville for a visit with the Florida Gators, one of Kentucky’s top foes in the SEC East.

Mertz shared a photo from his hotel room in Lexington on social media:

Mertz’s visit comes on the heels of Leary’s decision to take a trip to Auburn this weekend to hear what new coach Hugh Freeze has to offer.

Kentucky’s newest visitor was rated as a four-star, top-60 prospect out of high school, the No. 4 overall quarterback recruit in the country. The 6-foot-3, 216-pound gunslinger was the No. 57 overall prospect in the 2019 On3 Consensus.

The former blue-chip prospect in the class of 2019 was a three-year starter at Wisconsin who threw for 5,405 passing yards, 38 touchdowns, and 26 interceptions during his career in Madison that included a different play-caller every season.

KSR’s Scouting Report

Graham Mertz (6-3, 216) is a pro-style quarterback with some NFL tools. The pocket passer flashes spurts of high-level play in three years as Wisconsin’s starter. In a traditional offense that got under center a ton and played with a lot of heavy personnel, Mertz displayed good velocity on short-to-intermediate throws and excelled at creating completions on vertical concepts due to ball placement, arm strength, and accuracy. However, that accuracy was not always consistent on some of the easier throws in the Wisconsin scheme. There is a lack of foot quickness and speed that limits Mertz’s secondary playmaking when plays break down. Was a true game manager in the Big Ten that was never really asked to carry an offense.

Mertz can excel in a run-heavy scheme that plays ahead of the chains and uses play-action looks to create vertical throws. However, the transfer has not had the opportunity to prove he can succeed in a pass-first approach.