The Wisconsin Badgers and Luke Fickell added a new signal caller to a loaded quarterback room via the transfer portal. Hunter Simmons from Southern Illinois has followed his former quarterback coach to Wisconsin. Simmons will be going into his senior year with the potential to play the following year, as he didn't use up his freshman eligibility. He's an intriguing quarterback for the Badgers for a variety of reasons.
Breaking: per his personal IG, SIU grad transfer QB Hunter Simmons has committed to Wisconsin
— Nick Osen (@TheRealNickOsen) April 17, 2025
Brings more depth and experience to a good room #BADGERS
Hunter Simmons from SIU has announced he is transferring to the Wisconsin Badgers
Hunter Simmons played as the starter for a few games but ended up as Jake Curry's backup quarterback at SIU by the end of the season. Curry will be a sophomore this season, so Simmons was assuredly going to sit behind him again. Simmons, however, was very efficient when he did play. He completed 73 passes on 128 attempts for 852 yards and 3 touchdowns, finishing the year with a 120.7 passer rating.
He is intriguing because he comes in as a veteran with no way he gets to start or really play (which means he's probably coming as a walk-on). This makes you wonder why he would choose to come to the Badgers, and he truly could just be following his former quarterback coach to the Badgers.
This also makes things very intriguing. Blake Rolan came to Wisconsin from SIU but moved out of his QB coaching position into an assistant WR position at Wisconsin. He worked with Simmons for the last few years and somehow convinced Simmons to come with him.
He may not have much of a role on the field, but he seems to have a role in the quarterback room, and in some ways, Luke Fickell seems to see him as an added value for the Badgers. It will be interesting to see how it all shakes out and what exactly Simmons adds to the team.