Wisconsin head coach Luke Fickell is all in on Maryland transfer Billy Edwards Jr. at the quarterback position. Coming off a disappointing season that saw the Badgers snap their 22-year bowl streak, the third-longest active streak in the nation, Wisconsin is in need of an injection at the quarterback position.
After an early season injury to Tyler Van Dyke launched backup Braedyn Locke into the starting role, the team lost six of their last nine, including a five-game losing streak to end the season.
Why Luke Fickell Believes Billy Edwards Jr. Can Lead Wisconsin’s Offense in 2025
In comes Edwards, fresh off a redshirt junior season that saw him throw for 2,881 yards, 15 touchdowns, and nine interceptions, adding five touchdowns on the ground. As the starter, Edwards led the Terrapins to a 4-7 record.
But despite Edwards’ on-field struggles behind center in College Park, Fickell expressed his all-in commitment to the Virginia native in an interview with B1G Today.
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“Well, Billy is the guy for us. And I think that was probably one of the things walking in the door that we wanted to make sure that we kind of, you know, expressed,” Fickell said. “And I don’t mean that there’s still not a competition, but we wanted him to have a chance to go and lead, right? And understand, ‘hey, this is the guy we’re putting in this position,’ there’ll be other guys, there’ll be other guys who want to compete, but we didn’t want to hold him back from his leadership.”
“And I think probably the thing that he’s done as good a job as anything is just being a leader and that’s in many different ways, but if there’s one guy that probably knows this team better than anybody, and I mean the guys in that locker room, it’s Billy, and he’s been really intentional in the things that he’s done and the way in which he’s gone about it. And that bodes really well for all of us, and it really even bodes well for all those guys in that room because they get to learn and they’re seeing what it looks like down at a pro level.”
San Diego State sophomore transfer Danny O’Neil, redshirt freshman Milos Spasojevic, and freshman Carter Smith round out the Badgers’ quarterback room. O’Neil started 11 games in 2024, throwing for 2,181 yards, 12 touchdowns, and six interceptions, leading the Aztecs to a 3-8 record.
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He was also the 2024 Florida Gatorade Player of the Year and was rated a four-star recruit by On3, ESPN, and Rivals.
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