Wisconsin will being without Jack Coan indefinitely.

The Badgers announced Tuesday night that the starting quarterback underwent successful surgery on his right foot and is out for an undetermined amount of time. The non-contact injury happened during Saturday’s practice as Coan was dropping back to pass.

Coan saw a specialist prior to the surgery. It’s unclear how long he’ll be out, but coach Paul Chryst knows the time away will hurt the senior.

“He’s incredibly unselfish. He cares about this team and doesn’t want anything to affect the team in a negative way,” coach Paul Chryst said Monday. “Obviously, the last thing any guy wants is to not be able to participate. It’s not about him and feeling sorry for himself. He does focus on the guys and this team.”

With Coan unlikely to be ready for the season opener Oct. 24 against Illinois, all eyes turn to redshirt freshman Graham Mertz. A 4-star recruit, Mertz is the highest-rated quarterback to ever sign with Wisconsin. In his senior year at Blue Valley (Kan.) North, the 6-foot-3, 225-pound Mertz threw for 3,886 yards and a state-record 51 touchdowns. As a junior, he led his team to the state title by throwing for 3,684 yards and 45 touchdowns. He also had 722 yards rushing and nine more touchdowns in his career.

Mertz got playing time in two games as Coan’s backup last season. He ended up completing 9 of 10 passes for 73 yards. Coan dealt with several different injuries throughout the season, leading Wisconsin to give Mertz more practice time with the first-team offense. That was especially the case in the lead up to the Iowa game, though Coan ended up starting and playing the entire way.

Chryst said Mertz was taking all the first-team reps in practice since Coan’s injury, with sophomores Chase Wolf and Danny Vanden Boom getting the rest of the work.