Wisconsin Spring Ball Preview: Quarterbacks

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Sep 13, 2025; Blacksburg, Virginia, USA; Old Dominion Monarchs quarterback Colton Joseph (1) warms up before the game at Lane Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Bishop-Imagn Images | Brian Bishop-Imagn Images

While the Wisconsin Badgers men’s basketball team is starting March Madness, the football team is getting ready for spring ball, with practices open to the media beginning on Thursday.

Wisconsin has a far different team in 2026 after overhauling their roster via the transfer portal once again this offseason. The Badgers brought in 33 transfers, which was the eighth-most in the country and the second-most of any team that didn’t have a head coaching change this offseason.

That coincided with 23 players exiting via the transfer portal, so Wisconsin needed a large batch of transfers to improve the roster and acquire depth at key positions.

With spring ball starting, let’s break down every position group, starting with the new-look quarterback room, which includes multiple transfers and a new projected starter.

Here’s what the room projects to look like heading into the spring.

Starter: Colton Joseph (redshirt junior)

Backup: Deuce Adams (redshirt sophomore)

Depth: Carter Smith (sophomore), Ryan Hopkins (freshman), Danny O’Neil (junior)

The Badgers will have three new faces at quarterback this season after bringing in Colton Joseph and Deuce Adams from the transfer portal and adding four-star Ryan Hopkins in their freshman class.

Joseph was the team’s prized possession in the portal, as Wisconsin was a significant competitor for him early, getting him on campus for a visit before quickly landing his commitment. One of the top dual-threat quarterbacks in college football last year, Joseph threw for 2,624 yards, 21 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions, while rushing for 1,0007 yards and 13 touchdowns.

Coming into Wisconsin, Joseph provides offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes with the ability to be creative with the quarterback run, but has some growth to do. Joseph still has a lot of refining with his footwork and pocket presence, as he can have a tendency to hold on to the ball too long. Wisconsin’s quarterbacks saw how big of an issue that was last year behind an inconsistent offensive line.

While that trait is important for extending plays, Joseph will have to be better in structure and also improve his accuracy after completing under 60 percent of his passes last year. The quarterback does have a good arm, but it’s not the strongest, so Joseph will have to find more efficient ways to stretch the ball downfield with his crop of pass-catchers.

Still, while there is some room for improvement as a passer, Joseph’s dual-threat ability immediately raises both the floor and ceiling of Wisconsin’s offense, as it adds another dimension for the defense to account for.

Behind him, the Badgers brought in Louisville transfer Deuce Adams, who saw minimal action in his first two years in college. Adams did make one start in 2026, but has completed only 7 of 15 passes for 112 yards in his career.

He should compete with Carter Smith for the backup role this season, and might have the upper hand with his ability in the pocket and his arm talent. Smith showed promise last year as a true freshman, but there was still quite a bit of development needed as a passer. We’ll see how much he’s grown this spring.

Those two should compete for the No. 2 and No. 3 roles, with Hopkins coming in as the No. 4 quarterback on the depth chart as a true freshman. Danny O’Neil, who suffered a major lower-body injury to end the year, isn’t expected back for a while, if at all this season, so Wisconsin will likely roll with their those top four quarterbacks in the spring.

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