Eastern Illinois has put former Cole LaCrue as the QB1 for their upcoming season. The former Wisconsin quarterback and 3-star recruit is now the second signal-caller in the last week to go from the depth chart for the Badgers to the top quarterback for a new school.
Myles Burkett is the other quarterback who moved on and was named the starting quarterback for Eastern Kentucky.
Excited for the opportunity to lead this team!! @EIU_FB @youngbucksport https://t.co/lvUwajA1jO
— cole joseph lacrue (@lacruecole18) August 20, 2025
Cole LaCrue is now the starting quarterback for Eastern Illinois
Related: Former Badger QB and Gatorade Player of the Year wins the starting job at new school
LaCrue never got the opportunity to enter a game for the Badgers as he struggled with injuries and inexperience to start his college career. He was ranked a 3-star recruit out of Broomfield High School in Colorado and threw for 57 touchdowns and more than 6,000 yards, according to the Wisconsin athletics website.
He announced in November that he would be moving on to another school. His prospects of playing at Wisconsin seemed low with three different quarterbacks in front of him. Moving to a school like Eastern Illinois would give him the chance to start right away and maybe put his name back on the map.
He also left in the wake of the firing of Phil Longo as the season was unraveling for the Badgers. Long was one of his primary recruiters to Wisconsin.
This is the direction it seems as if it's playing out for LaCrue. He beat out two other quarterbacks in a three-way camp competition for the Panthers against Blainey Dowling and Connor Wolf. Dowling, the only one with college game experience, played as the backup last season for Eastern Illinois. Wolf is a true freshman.
This is good news for another former Badger who can find a way to revive his college career in dreams that never materialized out of high school.