Luke Fickell can’t afford to lose Ryan Hopkins and needs a long-term plan now

After multiple consecutive seasons of the Wisconsin Badgers football team lacking even average quarterback play, it seems as if they have struck gold, now having multiple QBs who have turned heads in practice. The star of the show is Old Dominion transfer Colton Joseph, who by all accounts will open the season as QB1.

However, through the spring practices, another name has emerged as one of, if not the most eye-popping talents in the QB room, freshman Ryan Hopkins. The 6-foot-3 former three-star recruit came to Wisconsin with relatively low expectations, at least for his early days. The Badgers already had multiple quarterbacks on the roster with collegiate experience, making Hopkins seem destined for a redshirt season. However, things changed quickly as he has already asserted himself as one of the best young talents on the team.

Dual-Threat Domination

Easily the most intriguing facet of Hopkins' skill set is his running ability. Luke Fickell has seemingly fallen in love with this style of quarterback, reflected by each of his top four QBs having that ability. Hopkins, however, may even be the best athlete amongst them all, making him all the more intriguing.

Many may know that he ran track over his high school tenure, with his fastest 100-meter dash time being 10.97 seconds. That speed reflects directly to his tape, as Hopkins was consistently able to break free for long runs in his senior year at Mater Dei, something he already proved capable of doing in Wisconsin practices.

However, in order for a quarterback to be a dual threat, they have to have two threats. So many times, athletic quarterbacks trick coaches and scouts into thinking they are special QB talents purely because of their athletic prowess. In Hopkins' case, this shouldn't be an issue in the slightest.

The 19-year-old took huge strides in his senior year as a passer, logging 18 passing touchdowns to just 6 interceptions. Hopkins built a very strong connection with Chris Henry Jr., the number two receiver prospect in the country, and proved that with the right weapons around him he can be a star-level talent.

Keeping Him Around

With all of this said, keeping Hopkins in town may be a very difficult task. Odds are, Joseph will remain QB1 for the next two seasons, given his remaining eligibility and proven high-level ability, meaning it will be a while before Hopkins gets his chance, barring injury. As a result, he may become frustrated with his situation and enter the transfer portal in search of a new home.

This now puts the pressure on Fickell and the rest of the Badgers staff to keep him in town until the time is right to start him, so as not to lose a player of his caliber. Some have suggested making him QB2 right away to give Hopkins a fair chance of finding playing time right away.

Whatever Wisconsin chooses to do, it will have to be coordinated and with the future in mind, as losing out on Hopkins may mean losing out on one of the most dynamic quarterback talents in program history.

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