MADISON, Wis. -- Rob Hoss still vividly remembers sitting on the couch one night a few years ago with his wife, doggedly formulating a makeshift catalog of offensive coordinators for every major college football program. Hoss, the football coach at Sayville High in New York, knew one of the best prospects of his 15-year tenure was quarterbacking the team.

There was just one problem.

"We don’t exactly play in the mecca of college football recruits," Hoss said. "But we certainly play in the mecca of college lacrosse."

Hoss' top player, Jack Coan, had committed to play lacrosse for Notre Dame following his freshman year of high school because college lacrosse programs routinely scoured the area for the nation's top talent. As for college football teams? All Hoss ever heard from the few schools that bothered to return his overtures was that Long Island, New York, wasn't in their recruiting footprint.

Still, Hoss wouldn't quit. So, he pulled up his laptop email while his wife provided addresses on her iPad for coaches from the SEC, MAC, Big Ten, Conference USA, Pac-12 and several others. One by one, Hoss sent a full profile on Coan, complete with his height, weight, 40-yard dash time and high school transcript. He also included a link to Coan's high school football highlights through Hudl and repeatedly followed up with phone calls.

"I just continued to bombard people," Hoss said. "I was probably the most annoying coach on the planet. These schools must have been like, 'Just block this guy's number.'"

Coan is now on Wisconsin's campus as an early enrollee for the Badgers' 2017 recruiting class. He'll enter spring practice as one of three scholarship quarterbacks, alongside incumbent starter Alex Hornibrook and Kare Lyles. Wisconsin also signed in-state product Danny Vanden Boom on Wednesday as its fourth signal-caller on scholarship. But in order for Coan to reach this point, he first needed to shed himself of the stigma that Long Island wasn't worth a visit from most college recruiters.

"Right when I committed to Notre Dame for lacrosse, Coach Hoss was like, 'All right, that's great. You're going to play football, though,'" Coan said Wednesday during the Badgers' national signing day festivities. "He worked his butt off. I did have some doubts because you don't see anyone coming off the island to play football. I didn't really think I was going to get recruited, but I was always hoping for it, and it's always been my dream."

Hoss' determination paid off when Miami offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach James Coley flew out to watch a throwing session at Coan's high school in the spring after his sophomore season. Hoss recalled that only two passes hit the turf that day, and Coley extended a scholarship offer.

"And then he really blew up from there," Hoss said of Coan's recruiting stock.

Michigan, Rutgers, Maryland, Boston College and West Virginia were among those to offer Coan scholarships. Wisconsin also showed significant interest in Coan during his junior season. Former Wisconsin quarterback Jon Budmayr, a quality-control assistant for the Badgers who works with the team's quarterbacks, flew out to watch Coan throw inside the high school gym following a massive snowstorm. Budmayr was so taken by what he saw that, after consulting with Badgers head coach Paul Chryst, he called Hoss at 11:30 that night to offer Coan a scholarship.

Last spring, Coan visited campus and said he knew Wisconsin was the place for him "within the first 15 minutes" of the trip. Coan, who played out of a shotgun formation in high school, said he hadn't taken a snap from under center since he played in youth leagues. That adjustment to Wisconsin's pro-style offense will begin next month, when spring practice opens. But Coan already has demonstrated a willingness to learn. A year ago, he began working privately with former New York Giants quarterback Phil Simms, who helped him change his throwing motion from an over-the-top delivery to a more compact side motion.

The work paid off. Coan set Long Island career passing records for touchdowns (128), single-season passing yards (3,431) and career passing yards (9,787). He also showcased his dual-threat ability, rushing for 2,551 career yards with 33 touchdowns. He was named New York's Gatorade Player of the Year in 2016 and gave up his last season of high school lacrosse to join the Badgers early.

Coan, a 6-foot-3, 200-pounder, is a three-star prospect that ranks as the No. 29 quarterback in his class, according to ESPN. Wisconsin's coaching staff certainly likes the skill set Coan can provide, regardless of where he played.

"The more you find out, the more excited you get about him," Chryst said. "The film is what started it, and [I] don't really care if it's a place that's had a lot or hasn't had many, you want to go find the right group. I feel really confident about Jack being a great fit, and it's good to have him here now. ...

"I think that there's been some good quarterbacks to come out of Long Island. But you just go and you look everywhere, and Sayville had a guy that was a good fit for us."

Hoss said Coan was believed to be the first Sayville High player to earn a football scholarship to a Division I program since 1972, when two players earned scholarships. In the process, Coan helped pave the way for other area football players to earn recruiting looks from major programs. Offensive tackle Ethan Wiederkehr committed to Northwestern, and receiver Cameron Jordan picked Syracuse in the 2017 class. Tight end Jeremy Ruckert is ranked No. 2 at his position in the 2018 class and has more than 20 scholarship offers, including Wisconsin, Alabama, Ohio State, Florida State and LSU.

"Whatever I do in my football career, I'm definitely going to try to represent Long Island and help more kids get recruited," Coan said. "I do think we've got some good football players out there that deserve some recognition."