BY MIKE LUCAS
UWBadgers.com Senior Writer
MADISON, Wis. — At the end of Saturday's practice, the first of the 2017 season, all the quarterbacks not named Alex Hornibrook got to throw against a defense of their peers (young players). Getting the extra reps were redshirt freshman Karé Lyles and true freshmen Jack Coan and Danny Vanden Boom.
Identifying a backup QB might not sound sexy or seem like a pressing matter. But it could be if Hornibrook gets hurt since Lyles, Coan and Vanden Boom have never taken a snap in a college football game. An injury, at that, knocked Hornibrook out of the Minnesota regular-season finale last November.
Wisconsin coach Paul Chryst did a masterful job in 2016 getting the most out of Bart Houston, a fifth-year senior, and Hornibrook, then a redshirt freshman. Houston started the first three games and the last two, including the Cotton Bowl. Hornibrook started the other nine, all in the Big Ten.
Lyles and Coan know what's at stake.
"This fall camp," said Lyles, who hails from Scottsdale, Arizona, "is critical for me and my future."
Since last spring, Lyles has lost 20 pounds, dropping from 230 to 210.
"That was the heaviest I had ever weighed," said Lyles, an early enrollee in the spring of 2016. Because he was still then rehabbing from an injury, he couldn't practice or train the way he wanted. "I'm still trying to slim down even more now; I might even get down to 200."
As far as challenging for that No. 2 slot on the depth chart behind Hornibrook, Lyles said, "My mindset this time around is to just go out and play ball. I want to compete and work hard and I want to prove that I have the arm talent and the matching skill set to do it."
Lyles' younger brother, Kayden, a 320-pound offensive guard, was an early enrollee last spring along with Coan. The QB set high school records on Long Island for career passing yards (9,787) and touchdowns (128). Coan also rushed for 2,551 yards.
"I feel like I had a good summer in the weight room," said the 6-foot-3, 202-pound Coan, a heavily recruited lacrosse player as a prep. "I improved in all of my lifts. And I threw a lot, and I got better in that, too. I definitely feel more comfortable now than when I got here (in January).
"I'm more adjusted to everything. I know what to expect out of everybody and I also feel like I know the playbook better. I'm happy I came in early. It has helped a tremendous amount."
Chryst noted that Coan had an edge on Vanden Boom (Kimberly, Wisconsin) who joined the program this summer. "That kind of stood out today," Chryst said Saturday. "Jack had the ability to be in winter meetings and spring ball meetings. He's done a good job of learning and he's got a lot more to learn.
"But he has given himself a chance to get value out of the reps, which is huge."
TAKING NUTRITION TO FRUITION
Lyles credited UW assistant strength and conditioning coach Shaun Snee for his weight loss.
"I sat down with Coach Snee for hours on end," Lyles said, "just talking about nutrition."
Snee is producing a weekly newsletter for the players during training camp.
"This week, we're educating them on hydration and the importance of it," Snee said. "We show them the chart on how many ounces they should have a day and how much water they should drink during practice. Now, we can combine it with Gatorade, which is essential for electrolytes."
Snee also supplies the players with information on nutrient timing.
"It will tell them what to eat and when to eat," he said. "They should be getting something in their system every hour and one half. After practice, after a lift, they will have a 30-minute window to get proteins and carbs into their system. I shoot for 20 to 40 grams of protein and about 60 to 80 carbs."
It all depends on the size of the athlete.
"We have a late-night snack about an hour before bedtime," he went on. "That's going to be cottage cheese or yogurt. Some guys like ricotta cheese. They also can do milk or Organic Fuel (a protein shake). We're just trying to educate them each week so they know what they're doing and why they're doing it."
Snee cited some positive offseason gains. Hornibrook gained seven pounds of lean body mass while losing three percent body fat. Nose guard Olive Sagapolu dropped 11 pounds of fat and gained 14 to 15 pounds of lean body mass. Defensive lineman Alec James gained five pounds of lean body mass.
"We're not just telling them what to eat," Snee said. "We're actually showing them how to eat."
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QUOTE TO NOTE
On Hornibrook's development since the final stages of the 2016 season, Chryst said, "One thing I've always been impressed with Alex is his approach. He's willing to spend a lot of time to improve physically — and on the mental part of it — and it has been a very good offseason for him. We're talking about Alex, but with any of our players who have played, (you ask) how can you learn from those experiences? I really like where Alex is right now. And yet know that there's a lot of room for growth. But I think he has put himself in position to take those steps forward."
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GETTING HIS KICKS AGAIN
Momentum is finally on Rafael Gaglianone's side.
"I had a good spring and it rolled into a good summer and I'm just excited for a good fall camp," said Gaglianone, a 5-11, 235-pound redshirt junior placekicker from Sao Paulo, Brazil. "I'm feeling 100 percent healthy. I'm feeling good and confident. I'm feeling normal again and just a part of the team.
"I'm looking forward to two more seasons."
Gaglianone got off to a confident start in 2016 making seven of his first eight field goal attempts through the first three games. But his season ended abruptly because of back pain that resulted in surgery. "Being away from the team," he admitted, "is the toughest part for a guy who's hurt."
On what accounts for his newfound confidence, he said, "Having three years under my belt, being one of the older guys with game experience, I know what it takes to get that level, to be at that place again. I have more knowledge of the game and more knowledge of the details."
During the offseason, Gaglianone went to kicking camps and measured himself against some of the nation's top specialists, including Auburn's Daniel Carlson, a two-time finalist for the Groza Award. He also traveled to Florida and came under the influence of Kansas City Chiefs kicker Cairo Santos.
"I was kind of brainstorming with him — kind of picking his brain," he said of Santos, the 2012 Groza winner and a consensus All-American at Tulane. Santos, who's from San Paulo, was the first Brazilian-bred athlete to play in the NFL. "He was very helpful throughout the process.
"It was all about building that confidence for fall camp."
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DID YOU KNOW?
One of the NCAA's rule changes for 2017 is aimed at controlling sideline decorum. If a coach strays from the white painted area and on to the playing surface, he can be assessed a 15-yard penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct. Will it affect the way that Chryst coaches?
"Hope not," he said.
Does he remember any instances where he literally crossed the line to question a call? "I remember being on the field, but they were for (replay) reviews," he said. "There was a game that we played a couple of years ago. We had a play that looked a lot like … (pause) … something."
Like a touchdown. That was the ruling on the field on a Jazz Peavy catch in the end zone against Northwestern. Upon review, it was ruled that Peavy hadn't completed the process of the catch. "I remember being out (on the field) on that one," said Chryst, drawing laughter. "But you've got to keep your poise, right? They don't want you on the field challenging a call. And it's a good rule."
