It appears that Wisconsin fans will get their wish after all this weekend, as true freshman Ryan Hopkins is expected to make his first career start against Rutgers. Multiple sources are saying that normal starter Colton Joseph will be held out as he is "dealing with an injury." The timing may be perfect for Wisconsin, and there is now a bunch more anticipation for this Rutgers match.
Joseph hasn't been great since Big Ten play began, and fans have been calling for Hopkins to start in his place. During the Iowa game, Joseph was benched, and Hopkins finished the game. According to Fickell, it was due to wanting to get Hopkins more reps and where the game situation was already at.
The current expectation is that Wisconsin quarterback Colton Joseph, who has been dealing with an injury, won’t start tomorrow against Rutgers, sources tell @CBSSports.
— Matt Zenitz (@mzenitz) November 6, 2026
Freshman Ryan Hopkins is expected to make his first career start for the Badgers, per sources. pic.twitter.com/kdbONFVeJr
Luke Fickell was asked after the Iowa game if there would be a change at quarterback going forward. If Hopkins would get a chance to start over Joseph. Fickell replied, "That's not what this is about." Referring to Hopkins playing in the Iowa game. However, there has been talk around the water cooler all week that now is the time to pull the plug and let Hopkins have a run. He's the quarterback of the future and already seems to have more juice than Joseph.
The timing of the Wisconsin decision to bring Ryan Hopkins to the front, comes with some questions
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Barry Alvarez even weighed in on the quarterback controversy and said that he would find a way to work Hopkins in, giving him meaningful reps, and if it becomes obvious that he is the hot hand, to let him keep working.
However, that doesn't appear to be necessary now. Fans are already wondering if the Joseph injury is real or not, and if it's an excuse to get Hopkins reps with Rutgers, Maryland, and Purdue on deck. It doesn't really matter if it is or not. It could be what MLB clubs do all the time with struggling pitchers, putting them on the IR with "an injury" only to give them a little bit of a rest and a reset.
In football, at this point in the season, everyone is dealing with something. So Joseph could be fighting through some pain, and this gives Fickell an opportunity to see the true freshman in a life game. A game in which Wisconsin should win no matter who is under center.
In the Iowa game, Joseph was 5/14 for 90 yards with a 16.9 QBR. Hopkins came in, and while he did have an interception, he looked much more polished and ready to go. He went 8/13 for 93 yards. It will be interesting to see how he handles Rutgers after a week of preparing to be the potential starter.
Hopefully, that is what happened in practice this week. That Joseph wasn't taking all, or even any, of the first-team reps, and that Hopkins was getting the ball and getting a chance to work with the first unit.
Now it's his turn to take the reins, and hopefully he does so well, so that the quarterback controversy slides into a backup, Joseph, making too much money while sitting on the bench.
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