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The first Pitt-to-Wisconsin flip has taken place, as former Panthers commit Alex Hornibrook announced on Twitter Monday night that he would be joining the Badgers and enrolling early.
Beyond excited to announce that I have committed and will enroll early at the University of Wisconsin. On Wisconsin! pic.twitter.com/UiYhCWUmlT
— Alex Hornibrook (@alex_hornibrook) January 13, 2015
Hornibrook (Malvern Prep, Pa.) is a three-star quarterback, according to 247Sports, and the first thing you'll notice about him is that he's left-handed. At 6'4, 210 pounds, he's a pro-style quarterback -- the No. 55 signal caller in the nation, per 247's composite rankings.
He committed to Pitt under new Wisconsin head coach Paul Chryst in June, choosing the Panthers over offers from Akron, Colgate, UConn, Lafayette, Rutgers and Yale.
We heard rumblings of Hornibrook's interest in Wisconsin over the weekend, and it seems as though his flip to UW has been in the works for a few days -- after all, he says he's going to move into his Madison living quarters on Tuesday.
Just asked QB Alex Hornibrook when he plans to arrive at #Wisconsin as an early enrollee? "I'm already here and will move in tomorrow."
— BadgerBlitz.com (@McNamaraRivals) January 13, 2015
Hornibrook also issued a statement to Pitt before announcing his flip to Wisconsin.
— Alex Hornibrook (@alex_hornibrook) January 13, 2015
The Badgers' quarterback situation for 2015 is now really interesting -- as if it wasn't already. You have the incumbent starter Joel Stave, who will be a fifth-year senior. Tanner McEvoy, should he remain in the quarterback picture, will be also a fifth-year senior. Bart Houston, should he not transfer (we have not heard anything that would make that a legitimate possibility at this point), will be a highly inexperienced junior.
Notice all those "shoulds?" The picture gets even more complex when you take into account the young quarterbacks the Badgers brought in under Gary Andersen. D.J. Gillins will be a redshirt freshman -- he's the dual-threat QB from Jacksonville, Fla. Austin Kafentzis will be a true freshman -- he's the prized quarterback recruit Andersen landed through his Utah connections. If you've read B5Q comment sections and/or pretty much any other Wisconsin message board over the past year or so, you know Kafentzis is bringing a ton of hype to Madison as basically the best QB prospect to ever come out of the Beehive State.
And, for the sake of rounding out the full picture, Wisconsin has also been linked to Houston transfer John O'Korn.
The good news, for those now burdened with a headache or concerned about whole "if you have many quarterbacks, you really have none" stigma, is that Paul Chryst is indeed a quarterback-friendly coach who tutored one Russell Wilson during his offensive coordinator days in Madison. We're still waiting for the rest of Chryst's staff to be cemented, but when it does, we might be able to glean better insight into who might be the best fit in this offense.
Until then, let's have some fun in the poll below -- at this early, early juncture, who do you want starting at quarterback next season for the Badgers? Hornibrook's senior season Hudl tape is also below.