How Hunter Simmons earned Wisconsin Badgers QB job with Billy Edwards sidelined

Hunter Simmons quickly ascended from third-string quarterback to Wisconsin Badgers starter.

The Southern Illinois transfer made his first-career start for the program on Saturday against Michigan after making his first appearance of the season late in the loss against Maryland before the bye week.

With starter Billy Edwards Jr. still hurt, backup Danny O'Neil was expected to continue in his place, but Luke Fickell made the switch for the Wolverines game and plans to continue with Simmons as the top option moving forward.

Related: Wisconsin Badgers will continue two QB offense with Billy Edwards still injured

For the coaching staff, it was about his physical tools in the passing game compared to O'Neil, who is a better runner but not as sharp of a thrower.

"He does have a quick release. He does have a bit of a stronger arm," Fickell said Monday. "Now, we just got to be able to build off of that."

Luke Fickell says Hunter Simmons is the starter if Billy Edwards can't go.

"He did the things we asked him to do...I think we can definitely build on that and build with him in different ways."#Badgers
— Evan Flood (@Evan_Flood) October 6, 2025

According to PFF, Simmons threw the ball in less than 2.5 seconds on average against Michigan.

When O'Neil played against Maryland and Alabama, he held onto the ball for about 3.5 seconds on average.

The stronger arm didn't equate to more downfield passing for Simmons, with both quarterbacks averaging a similar depth of target this season, but some of that can be shaped by the defense they're matching up against.

A quicker release can be a sign of more decisiveness, which allowed Simmons to be a better game manager than O'Neil.

Is it time to have the Hunter Simmons conversation, #Badgers fans???

I know it was one drive vs. Maryland’s backups/prevent defense, ect…

But his pocket presence/command was miles ahead of Danny’s. And this is a gorgeous throw.

QB2??? pic.twitter.com/CvzD11uQkB
— Seamus (@seamus_rohrer) September 26, 2025

But fast throws on nothing but short passes can be limiting to the offense in their own way, especially if that quarterback doesn't have the mobility to create big plays outside of the pocket.

It's a trade-off for the Badgers' quarterbacks, which is part of why Fickell said Wisconsin will continue rotating O'Neil in while Simmons starts.

Still, Simmons does a better job of getting the ball in the hands of the offensive play-makers, who should be capable of converting a shorter throw into a big gain.

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