First off, I want to apologize for my vague comments in the last Mertz thread. My "rock solid" and "he's visiting..." didn't look so great after I re-read them. I started typing something up again in that thread but decided I wanted to talk to another person or two before I did.
To start, it sounds like visits to Notre Dame and Ohio State are real possibilities. With Ohio State, I was told Mertz will be in the state for a camp (maybe the Rivals, but I'm not sure). Like he did with Georgia (in the state of the Elite 11) during the winter, Mertz could pop in and take a "visit" with the Buckeyes while in Ohio.
There appears to be a bit more going on with Notre Dame. People over there feel he'll visit and the Irish offer, for whatever reason, seems to have caught Mertz's attention. The Irish are certainly making Mertz their top QB priority in this class. A visit to South Bend is not set, to my knowledge, but I wouldn't be shocked if it happened.
From Wisconsin's perspective, I was told nothing much has changed. From the very beginning, Mertz has been up front and honest in regards to his other offers. And right now, I was told there's no change on the front. Now, it he starts going out of his way to take visits, I'm not sure how/if that will change.
In my opinion, I think Mertz will sign with the Badgers in December. I think the time he spent in Madison in February, coming off a lot of big offers, was huge. He has a great relationship with Jon Budmayr and the coaching staff, and I think he and his parents realize they won't get that at another school. Wisconsin was also there at the very beginning when others weren't. That carriers a lot of weight. I also feel good about UW because the Badgers, to my knowledge, have not been actively involved with any other QBs in the 2019 class since Mertz's commitment.
It will be interesting until the very end, but I think Mertz will be enrolled at UW in January.
To start, it sounds like visits to Notre Dame and Ohio State are real possibilities. With Ohio State, I was told Mertz will be in the state for a camp (maybe the Rivals, but I'm not sure). Like he did with Georgia (in the state of the Elite 11) during the winter, Mertz could pop in and take a "visit" with the Buckeyes while in Ohio.
There appears to be a bit more going on with Notre Dame. People over there feel he'll visit and the Irish offer, for whatever reason, seems to have caught Mertz's attention. The Irish are certainly making Mertz their top QB priority in this class. A visit to South Bend is not set, to my knowledge, but I wouldn't be shocked if it happened.
From Wisconsin's perspective, I was told nothing much has changed. From the very beginning, Mertz has been up front and honest in regards to his other offers. And right now, I was told there's no change on the front. Now, it he starts going out of his way to take visits, I'm not sure how/if that will change.
In my opinion, I think Mertz will sign with the Badgers in December. I think the time he spent in Madison in February, coming off a lot of big offers, was huge. He has a great relationship with Jon Budmayr and the coaching staff, and I think he and his parents realize they won't get that at another school. Wisconsin was also there at the very beginning when others weren't. That carriers a lot of weight. I also feel good about UW because the Badgers, to my knowledge, have not been actively involved with any other QBs in the 2019 class since Mertz's commitment.
It will be interesting until the very end, but I think Mertz will be enrolled at UW in January.
