MADISON, Wis. -- Seven spring practices may not be enough to form a complete depth chart, but it is plenty to generate opinions of which players grasp teaching concepts and display high levels of intelligence and skill. And at this stage, Wisconsin coach Paul Chryst has seen both from freshman quarterback Alex Hornibrook.
Hornibrook, a 6-foot-4, 215-pounder from West Chester, Pa., continued to earn practice reps in a team setting Wednesday -- the first practice after spring break -- and he looked sharp in doing so.
During one four-pass sequence in skeleton drills, he completed each throw, and three went for long yardage. He completed a 40-yard pass to receiver Krenwick Sanders near the left hash, connected on a short pass over the middle to tight end Derek Watt, hit receiver Jazz Peavy on a 30-yard comeback route when defensive back Derrick Tindal slipped and then found Sanders again for a 25-yard gain.
In total, he completed his first five throws before misfiring on his final three, the last of which was an overthrow down the left sideline to receiver A.J. Jordan.
"When you're talking about opportunities, I think he's earned the right for some," Chryst said. "And I think (he's) done a nice job of learning the what to do . . . That's a pretty significant transition and I think he's handled that. Certainly has got a lot to do and to grow. . . . He's earned the right for opportunities. And when he gets them, he's done some good things with them."
Hornibrook figures to be hard-pressed to move up the depth chart enough to seriously challenge incumbent starter Joel Stave, who unofficially completed 16 of 27 passes in skeleton and 11-on-11 work. But Hornibrook was involved in a four-quarterback rotation during practice with Stave, Bart Houston and D.J. Gillins. And he clearly has the upper hand against fellow freshman Austin Kafentzis, who did not jump into team drills Wednesday.
Hornibrook originally committed to the University of Pittsburgh when Chryst was head coach there but flipped to Wisconsin after Chryst was hired away in December.
"When we first were around him, (we) saw the film and liked that," Chryst said. "And then was able to be with him, be around him at a camp, so you can spend time in the meeting room. Liked the way that he approached the position. I think he's a worker and he's a bit of a gym rat. Does a lot of things, those qualities I like. And I also think as you watch him in competition, has a pretty good balance, which I think is tough sometimes for quarterbacks. He competes but he plays within himself."
Hornibrook certainly has the pedigree to be a successful college athlete. His father, Jeff, played football at Temple and his great uncle, John, played football at Miami (Fla.). His uncle, Ben Davis, was the No. 2 overall pick in the 1995 Major League Baseball Draft.
As a high school senior, Hornibrook completed 63 percent of his passes and finished with school records for yards (2,156) and touchdowns (26). He closed his career with a record 3,356 passing yards and 38 touchdowns and won the 2014 Pennsylvania Mini Max Award from Maxwell Football Club. He also was a three-year team captain who had scholarship offers from Rutgers and Connecticut.
"I'm not sure which player I model my game after," Hornibrook said on national signing day in February. "I guess like a Tom Brady someone that has the strength and accuracy and mental side of the game, too. A lot of people say that."
Shelton stars: Cornerback Sojourn Shelton, a junior-to-be, was a force during Wednesday's practice. He intercepted two passes and broke up a third. The first interception came on Houston, whose pass over the middle found Shelton after receiver George Rushing slipped on the wet turf inside Camp Randall Stadium. Shelton later intercepted Stave down the left sideline.
"I thought today he had a good day," Chryst said. "I thought he came out and had a purpose to what he was doing. The more I'm getting to know him, he takes practice serious and values the reps there and wants to be smart, understanding the why. I like him."
Shelton has played in all 27 games the past two seasons and recorded four interceptions as a freshman to earn honorable all-Big Ten honors in 2013. Last year, he tallied 33 tackles with six passes defended but did not record an interception.
Chryst unhappy: Chryst voiced his displeasure with the effort of several players during his post-practice speech, laying into the group as a whole for not taking advantage of opportunities to improve on the field. He noted defensive coordinator Dave Aranda had to repeatedly call out players on defense during skeleton work to run toward the ball.
"I thought we had some guys really good," Chryst said afterward. "And then I thought we had some we've got to keep growing. It's that old adage, you get better or you get worse. I think it's real. You get a limited number of opportunities for us to work on the field and just wanted to make sure everyone takes advantage of that."
Wisconsin resumes spring practice Friday afternoon.
Follow Jesse Temple on Twitter
