How Luke Fickell handles Ryan Hopkins has become the storyline of Wisconsin fall camp

One of the biggest stories not only of fall camp, but even dating back to the spring practices, is just how good Wisconsin Badgers incoming freshman quarterback Ryan Hopkins has been. Coming into the year, fans had a good idea of who he was, as thanks to his 5-star teammate Chris Henry Jr., Hopkins found himself on the throwing end of some big-time highlights throughout his high school career.

With that in mind, most still believed Hopkins to be more of a developmental piece, as entering college, his main weapon was made out to be his legs. However, as practices went on and fans became more familiar with him, people began to realize that he is more than just a good runner, as Hopkins’ arm talent is something worth noting, too.

Consistently throughout camp, he has flashed the ability to spray the ball around the field and stay on target, something Wisconsin can absolutely put to use. He has had some accuracy and decision-making issues — as any freshman quarterback would — but it’s become clear that he’s one of the more talented QBs in recent Badger memory.

Rush to Start Him?

It’s always difficult to handle talents like Hopkins, especially in the modern era of college sports. On one hand, you want him to develop and round out his skill set before putting him in play, as you don’t want to kill his confidence with a few bad starts. On the other hand, you know that if you don’t start him early on, another team elsewhere that is more quarterback-needy could throw him a bag and guarantee him the chance to play the moment he steps on campus.

This leaves Wisconsin in an especially tough spot, as given how the roster was built this offseason, seemingly nobody expected him to be this good. Between Colton Joseph, who projects as a big-time starter, Carter Smith, who won the Badgers multiple games last season, and Deuce Adams, a Louisville transfer who has flashed some upside in camp, Wisconsin has a loaded room.

With that said, keeping things simple may be the key to success for both Hopkins and the Badgers moving forward.

Finding a Balance

There is no perfect balance Wisconsin can find for Hopkins, but there are ways that can all but assure him of returning to the school moving forward without rushing him into high-leverage moments.That method would be putting him at the backup QB spot, allowing him to fill in for spot minutes in blowouts or specific scenarios and giving him a chance to get in-game reps in low-leverage moments.

With that said, if for whatever reason Joseph goes down with an injury or can’t start, Badger fans shouldn’t be surprised to see Luke Fickell turn elsewhere for a spot start. Obviously, there is a chance that they believe Hopkins is ready for the moment and throw him out there for a start if the opportunity comes.But it wouldn’t be a bad idea to limit him to just low-leverage reps this year for the most part and start the process of working him into bigger moments next season.

Nonetheless, Hopkins is a talent worth being delicate about, as losing him could mean losing a future cornerstone of the program.

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