Report: Wisconsin Makes Quarterback Change Ahead of Week 10 vs. Rutgers

Let the Ryan Hopkins era begin.

According to a report from CBS Sports' Matt Zenitz, Wisconsin football will turn to true freshman Ryan Hopkins on Saturday against Rutgers. Starter Colton Joseph is reportedly dealing with an injury.

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.

Freshman Ryan Hopkins is expected to make his first career start for the Badgers, per sources. pic.twitter.com/kdbONFVeJr
— Matt Zenitz (@mzenitz) November 6, 2026

Hopkins replaced Joseph in the fourth quarter of the Badgers' humiliating 30-0 defeat at the hands of Iowa on Halloween after the latter struggled mightily and once again failed to eclipse 100 yards passing. The freshman went 8-of-13 passing for 93 yards and an interception.

Hopkins will now get his first career start, and Joseph will ride the bench although he's reportedly expected to dress and will be available if needed.

This is a pretty monumental change for the Badgers to make with four games remaining in their season. It's especially interesting because head coach Luke Fickell tried to dispel the notion of a quarterback controversy this week.

Immediate reaction to Hopkins grabbing the QB1 role

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Wisconsin quarterback Ryan Hopkins. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Make no mistake; this looks and feels like a benching. Wisconsin can float the idea of an injury all it wants, but it's pretty clear the Badgers are simply going in a different direction at quarterback.

First of all, Joseph hasn't been on the Badgers' injury report all week. It would be convenient if he popped up on the Friday night edition, corroborating the afternoon report that Hopkins will replace the injured starter.

What's more, the fact that Joseph will reportedly be available off the bench and will dress Saturday afternoon indicates that whatever he's dealing with, it can't be all that serious if he's cleared to play.

This is a good spot for Hopkins. Rutgers' defense is abysmal; it's the 123rd-ranked defense in the country and the 90th-ranked passing defense.

We already know that Joseph can tear through a shoddy defense, as we've seen him do in the Badgers' buy games (Western Illinois, Eastern Michigan) and lower-tier Big Ten teams (Michigan State). Wisconsin doesn't gain much from having Joseph run all over a hapless Rutgers team. It already knows he can do that. Given Joseph's now well-documented incompetence against legit, top-tier defenses, it would behoove the Badgers to see what they have in the true freshman who was the darling of offseason camp.

If Hopkins plays well, Wisconsin is in a great spot to let him keep the job. Next up on the slate is Maryland and Purdue before the Axe game. If the true freshman can get three full games of solid, proper Big Ten experience before a clash with Minnesota that could decide whether Fickell keeps his job, that would obviously put Wisconsin in much better position to reclaim the Axe.

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