As if uncertainty and doubt toward head coach Luke Fickell’s tenure was not already creeping in among fans and critics alike, figuring out which quarterback will start before each game seems to be a mystery, too.
Fickell was brought in to lead Wisconsin football to championship aspirations. Oftentimes, the first step in building a championship team is having a reliable quarterback. That hasn’t happened.
We are now in Fickell’s third year, and just six games into the season, fans have seen three different quarterbacks walk out on the field as starters.
Fickell’s first choice for starting quarterback was Maryland Terrapins transfer Billy Edwards Jr., who did not even play one full half of the first game of the year for the Badgers before walking off with a sprained left knee. He still has not returned from his injury.
His replacement was San Diego State transfer Danny O’Neil, who took the helm and after a solid first two games, regressed tremendously when faced with tougher competition.
O’Neil was benched after a hard hit midway through the final quarter of the Badgers’ game against Maryland. Fickell decided to give Southern Illinois transfer Hunter Simmons the ball, who played out the remainder of the game.
Simmons drew starts in the Badgers next two games against the Michigan Wolverines and Iowa Hawkeyes.
Fickell’s first two seasons
The Badgers’ revolving door of quarterbacks has been a defining part of Fickell’s tenure.
In Fickell’s first full season in 2023, Southern Methodist transfer Tanner Mordecai was the starter. But when Mordecai faced a mid-season hand injury, backup quarterback Braedyn Locke — a transfer from Mississippi State — saw a few starts until Fickell’s choice for starter returned. Under Mordecai, the Badgers made it to the ReliaQuest Bowl where they fell 35-31 to the LSU Tigers. Many would say this was a decent start to Fickell’s tenure and looked promising for the future.
In his second season, Fickell named Miami transfer Tyler Van Dyke the starting quarterback, and just as things were seeming to settle, Van Dyke tore his ACL in the third game of the season against Alabama — making Locke the starter yet again. Under Locke, the Badgers went 5-7 and did not make it to a bowl game for the first time in 22 years. Locke ended up leaving for the transfer portal, and the Badgers started rebuilding their quarterback vault yet again.
Of course, Fickell is not to blame for his quarterback’s injuries, but his inability to build solid quarterback depth has bit him three years in a row. “Injuries hurt and the quarterback position injury more so than any other position,” Fickell said in a recent press conference.
Can Simmons step up?
Simmons did show some rigor as he went on to get the Badgers their only touchdown of their 27-10 loss to Maryland with 0:33 left in the fourth quarter. He finished the game completing 77.8% of his passes for 70 yards and one touchdown in his six minutes of playing time — earning a 90.3 passer rating.
In Wisconsin’s first away game against a ranked Big Ten opponent, Michigan, Simmons was announced starter with both Edwards and O’Neil injured. The Wolverines won 24-10 and Simmons finished with a 62% completion percentage, 177 yards and an interception.
Fickell seemed to be satisfied enough with Simmons and his playstyle after the game. “Hunter showed poise. But just for where we are and what we needed, we thought Hunter gave us the best opportunity. He did some things we needed him to do, and we’ll continue to grow with him,” he said in a postgame press conference.
Simmons was given preference over O’Neil for the game against Iowa as well. Fickell was all praise when asked what makes Simmons a better choice for the playstyle Wisconsin is going for on offense. “[Hunter] does have a quick release, he’s got a bit of a stronger arm and I think he’s got a really good arm. He is just a well rounded guy,” he said.
Regardless, Fickell’s plan to start Simmons over O’Neil in Wisconsin’s game last week against Iowa did not bode well at all as the Badgers were shut out at Camp Randall for the first time since 1980. A 37-0 loss left fans, critics and the coaching staff in disbelief.
Simmons struggled immensely to step up against Iowa. In the game’s first seven minutes, he threw two interceptions that aided the Hawkeyes to a 17-0 start in just the first quarter. On the contrary, the Hawkeyes offense used their physicality and toughness to outplay Wisconsin’s defense throughout the game and managed to score in every quarter. Simmons completed just 38.1% of his passes and threw two interceptions.
The Wisconsin Badgers are now 0-3 against Big Ten opponents this season and are looking ahead to getting back to playing in Camp Randall against the No. 1 ranked Ohio State Buckeyes next Saturday.
Saturday of Uncertainty
Looking at the depth chart for the Badgers against Ohio State, Edwards Jr. is still uncertain for the game. But after a full recovery and conditioning, whether Edwards Jr. is still the top pick for a starting quarterback remains to be seen. He will have missed the entire first half of the season after Saturday’s game and doubt will arise if Simmons or O’Neil find any success on the field.
After a disastrous Homecoming rivalry game against the Hawkeyes, Fickell did not rule out O’Neil’s availability to start games. “We were wheeling on both sides. Where we were at and what we needed to do, we still felt like [Hunter] gave us the best chance,” Fickell said after the game. “You’re probably right, it’s something we have to take a good, hard look at and no disrespect to Hunter but there probably was an opportunity or situation where we should have went in the other direction [of playing O’Neil].”
What is yet to be determined is if Fickell and offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes will stick to one quarterback. Fickell hinted at a quarterback competition between Simmons and O’Neil as Edwards Jr. continues to work through his injury.
Despite it being just under a month since Edwards Jr saw in-game action, Fickell is still keeping information about Edwards Jr.'s injury status close to his chest. Fickell acknowledged that his appearance in Wisconsin’s 27-10 loss against Maryland — where he regretted his injury and exited after just six plays — “probably set him back a little bit.”
At a press conference Monday, Fickell said it’s his job to “save Billy from himself,” adding he wants to make sure Edwards Jr. is able to finish out the season healthy.
"We want Billy to be 100 percent, or as close to 100 percent, in order to be able to protect himself, and at some point in time, that's going to fall on the shoulders of him as well," he said.
Whatever Fickell and Grimes have in mind for the quarterback spot will be revealed close to gametime, when the Badgers and their fans will desperately search for their first conference win.
