Wisconsin fans have been asking for Ryan Hopkins to get the start over Colton Joseph for a few weeks now, and it finally happened. On Saturday, he got the start and looked pretty solid against Rutgers. There are some mistakes and reads to clean up, but the way he zips the ball around the field, has control of the offense, and can hit all three levels, it feels like a big upgrade.
After the game, he was the name on the lips of reporters as the questions were being asked. "Thoughts on Ryan Hopkins?" Well, here are three of those answers.
Luke Fickell on Ryan Hopkins
Let's start with Luke Fickell, who may have had the most measured response in this list. "So, happy and proud of how he handled the situation today, and how he allowed the people around him to help him out. We got some good fortune on a few things as well, and I think that's all a part of continuing to let it fly."
Fickell wasn't fully ready to say that Hopkins is now the starter and Joseph is going to ride the pine, but he was pleased with Hopkins and said they made the call to go with the true freshman because it was time to see what he could do. Colton Joseph was banged up early in the week, and that gave Fickell the desire to make the decision now. It will be interesting to see how it plays out this week.
Mason Posa on Ryan Hopkins
Kate Fox was the one who got Posa to talk about Hopkins, so all credit to her. Here's what Posa said: "We saw the spark he could do in practices. Hop came in here ready to roll, no fear in his eyes. He's one of those quarterbacks who gets a little chippy...I knew Hop had that dog in him. He performed very well; I'm very pleased and satisfied."
Posa was extremely confident in Hopkins and said that his mindset was to make sure that they continued to get him the ball. Get the defense off the field and find more opportunities for Hopkins.
Posa has an understanding of what it's like to get the chance as a true freshman and come in and get the reins of a side of the ball. Last year, Posa was the one everyone was thrilled with as a freshman, and now he's watching it happen with Hopkins.
"All we have to do is just get him the ball."
— Kate Fox (@katefoxsports) November 8, 2026
This is the confidence in Ryan Hopkins that we heard all post-game. pic.twitter.com/1cD1NTNdgp
Jacob Harris on Ryan Hopkins
Finally, there's star tight end Jacob Harris, who had more humor in his answer than the other two. His big takeaway was how hard Hopkins throws the ball. "Hop throws the ball like a pitcher," Harris said. "He looks like he's going to absolutely throw a missile at you, regardless of what the throw is...Makes you want to flinch.
He said he loves the way that Hopkins throws and that "he spins it really nice." And Harris would know, as he caught two of his passes against Rutgers, going for 70 yards and a touchdown.
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