Former University of Wisconsin quarterback Jim Sorgi played in 39 games for the Badgers between 1999 and 2003, including two bowl games.
His son, Jack, is the most recent committed recruit for UW in the Class of 2027, a four-star quarterback from Lizton, Indiana. That makes for a rare legacy opportunity among UW quarterbacks.
Over his four years, he completed 55.5% of his passes, with 33 touchdowns and 20 interceptions as he racked up 4,475 passing yards.
He was selected in the sixth round by the Indianapolis Colts in 2004, taken with the 193rd overall pick. In six NFL seasons with the Colts, he played in 16 games backing up Peyton Manning, with six touchdowns and one interception.
He's 10th all-time in UW career passing yards, which is saying something, considering he only spent one year in the program as the unquestioned full-time starter. He shared time with Brooks Bollinger in his other three seasons on the field.
It hadn't been since 1991 that a high-school quarterback from Wisconsin had been given a Division I scholarship (Mike Statz of Oregon). At the time Sorgi was being recruited out of Fraser, Michigan, Cudahy star John Navarre had committed to Northwestern, then shifted gears to Michigan when Northwestern coach Gary Barnett went to Colorado.
According to Journal Sentinel reporting, Navarre spoke to Wisconsin coaches, but Barry Alvarez said he could only offer Navarre a spot as a tight end because he had promised Sorgi and Oconomowoc's Scott Wille that he would only recruit two quarterbacks in that class.
Navarre, the only player from Wisconsin ranked top-100 among high-school recruits in the country by at least one publication, went on to set Michigan career passing records for attempts, completions and yards.
With Mike Samuel departing from a team that won the Rose Bowl, the starting quarterback job in 1999 came down to Bollinger and Scott Kavanagh, with major promise from the two freshmen on the roster – Wille and Sorgi.
After Kavanagh broke out of the gate as the starter, early losses to Cincinnati and Michigan promoted a change to Bollinger, who led the team to a 10-2 record and a repeat Rose Bowl title.
Bollinger became Big Ten Freshman of the Year, though record-setting running back Ron Dayne was obviously the top story. Sorgi and Wille were merely backup plans that season.
Sorgi, Wille and freshman Matt Schabert were all in contention to serve as Bollinger's backup in 2000, and Sorgi won the job.
Playing in his home state against Michigan State, Sorgi relieved an injured Bollinger and threw a 45-yard touchdown pass in the final minute – a risky pass to Lee Evans that caught defenders off-guard – to give the Badgers a 17-10 victory in October. The throw came one play after Michael Bennett picked up a necessary fourth-and-1.
Sorgi immediately became a popular option among Badgers fans to replace Bollinger. UW had started the year ranked No. 4 but had lost three straight Big Ten games, including to top-10 foes Michigan and Ohio STate, before facing off with Michigan State. UW went 9-4 that year before winning the Sun Bowl.
With Bollinger still out with concussion, Sorgi's Badgers lost to nationally ranked Purdue in overtime, 30-24, though Sorgi completed 21 of 29 passes and threw for two scores, a more efficient showing than his counterpart, future Pro Football Hall of Famer Drew Brees.
Bollinger was back for a win over Minnesota but got hurt the week after that against Indiana, and Sorgi again played well in a 43-22 win, throwing three touchdowns with no interceptions. Sorgi played only sparingly the rest of the way.
They headed into the 2001 season with a legitimate position battle between the incumbent Bollinger and upstart Sorgi.
The two basically split the job in 2001, with Sorgi finishing 64-of-132 with 1,096 yards, nine touchdowns and eight interceptions. The Badgers went 3-5 in his appearances and finished 5-7 overall, a disappointing season that ended without a bowl game and a 42-31 loss to Minnesota.
Sorgi played in 11 games behind Bollinger in 2002, but he finished just 38-of-70 with one touchdown and two interceptions. Those Badgers finished 8-6, though they won the Alamo Bowl over Colorado for their only win that year against a ranked opponent. Bollinger, drafted in the sixth round by the Jets a few months later, left the job in Sorgi's hands for 2003.
One sidenote: In 2001, Owen Daniels joined the program as a quarterback with a room full of possibilities, including Wille, Bollinger, Schabert, Sorgi and another freshman, Devin Hollins. Daniels, of course, wound up converting to tight end and became a force who made two Pro Bowls in 10 NFL seasons at the position.