There are reasons that Jim Sorgi has not been able to get his son Jack to a Wisconsin home game over the years, including his own NFL career with the Indianapolis Colts and the following years on the Colts’ radio broadcast team.
Of course, there were Jack’s own football seasons to contend with, along with his brothers’ sports schedules. But not one trip to Camp Randall Stadium?
“We were always a Wisconsin household,” Jim said. “That was always who we rooted for. But I was kind of a crappy dad because we never got him there for a game.”
Jack and family will get there soon enough. The Tri-West quarterback officially committed to Wisconsin over the weekend, picking the Badgers over offers from Arkansas, Memphis and others. The 6-4, 205-pound senior-to-be was previously committed to Louisville before opening up his recruitment in early March.
Jack picked up his Badger fandom at a young age due to his father’s connection to the school. Jim played quarterback at Wisconsin from 1999 to 2003, passing for 4,475 yards and 33 touchdowns before playing a backup role behind Peyton Manning with the Colts from 2004-09. But it was not until Jack started over in the recruiting process that he really built a connection to the current Wisconsin staff.
“It was definitely perfect the way it all came together,” Jack said. “From Wisconsin jumping in to going on the visits, I could just tell right away that I had a great relationship with the coaches. It felt like it was home right away.”
Sorgi completed 61.2% of his passes for 2,911 yards and 31 touchdowns as a junior for Tri-West. He also ran for 156 yards and two TDs. Sorgi passed for 1,729 yards and 19 TDs as a sophomore and ran for 225 yards and four TDs.
Wisconsin coach Luke Fickell is 17-21 at Wisconsin in three seasons and has faced some heat after back-to-back losing records. “We know that our backs are against the wall, that’s the thing that doesn’t change,” Fickell told ESPN last week. Jeff Grimes will go into his second season as Wisconsin’s offensive coordinator and Kenny Guiton in his second year as the quarterbacks’ coach.
Jack Sorgi said the Badgers’ offensive style of play action passing, along with the quarterback run game, is a good match for his style of play. But the decision to commit to Wisconsin went beyond coaching philosophy.
“His biggest comment was that it was a home away from home,” Jim said. “As a parent, that is what you want to hear from your child as they enter the next phase of their life. A lot of the relationships are new, but he felt really comfortable in the meeting room and with coach Grimes’ offense. You can tell (Grimes) has a good grasp of what he wants to get done and getting his quarterbacks in the right decision. Coach Guiton was great at explaining everything and making Jack really comfortable. It was everything you would kind of want for (Jack).”
Former Cathedral standout Danny O’Neil saw some time at quarterback last year for the Badgers, completing 68% of his passes for 635 yards in five games. The Badgers currently have 10 players in the 2027 recruiting class with the four-star Sorgi the lone quarterback recruit.
Jack said his initial trip to Madison “was everything I expected and more.”
“Everything about it was great,” he said. “My dad always talked about how beautiful the campus was and he wasn’t lying. It was amazing.”
Wisconsin is Jim’s alma mater. But Jack’s decision was his own.
“For me, it’s awesome,” Jim said. “But going through this process, I didn’t want to make the decision for him one way or another. I wanted the best place for him to develop on the field and off. And once we got there, he really gravitated to Madison and had a real comfort level with the coaches there.”
Though it will take working around Tri-West’s schedule on Friday nights, there is no excuse for Jim, wife Lana and the Sorgis not to get to Wisconsin games now. In fact, the family is already making plans, starting with Wisconsin’s game vs. Notre Dame at Lambeau Field on Sept. 6.
“I wish it was in Camp Randall,” Jim said. “I definitely want him to experience that ‘Jump Around’ tradition at the end of the third quarter. But we’re definitely planning on getting there to as many games as we can.”
Call Star reporter Kyle Neddenriep at (317) 444-6649. Get IndyStar’s high school coverage sent directly to your inbox with the High School Sports newsletter. And be sure to subscribe to our new IndyStarTV: Preps YouTube channel.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: ‘Everything I expected and more.’ Tri-West’s Jack Sorgi finds connection at Wisconsin
Reporting by Kyle Neddenriep, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
