Wisconsin football QB mystery deepens before Ohio State clash

Luke Fickell is keeping his cards close to the T.E.A.M. vest on which Wisconsin Badgers quarterback will start against the Ohio State Buckeyes

Wisconsin Badgers quarterback Hunter Simmons (15) scrambles for 9 yards and is tackled by Iowa Hawkeyes defensive back Deshaun Lee (8) during the second half of the game on Saturday October 11, 2025 at Camp Randall in Madison, Wisconsin. | Jovanny Hernandez / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

If Luke Fickell has any idea which of his quarterbacks will start for the Wisconsin Badgers against Ohio State on Saturday, he is doing everything he can to keep it a secret. Wisconsin football bucked one of its usual trends this week, leaving more questions than answers at QB.

Wisconsin has mostly been without its preferred starting QB since Week 1. UW brought in Billy Edwards Jr. from the transfer portal this offseason, but the former Maryland Terrapins starter suffered a leg injury in the season-opener. Edwards attempted to play against his former team in Week 4, but exited the game during Wisconsin's second offensive drive.

After Wisconsin's blowout 37-0 loss to the Iowa Hawkeyes, Badgers head coach Fickell gave a peculiar update on his injured starter, but one of Fickell's two backups, Danny O'Neil or Hunter Simmons, appears more likely to start this weekend when UW hosts the top-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes.

Wisconsin football does not make a quarterback available to the media

Assuming Edwards, who Fickell said Saturday he does "not have a good indication on when exactly he is going to be available," remains sidelined, the Badgers will have "a little bit of a competition" to determine whether O'Neil or Simmons will start against OSU, Fickell said in his Monday press conference.

Typically, Wisconsin makes one quarterback available to the media each week for interviews. Which signal-caller is made available is a somewhat reliable indicator of the Badgers' presumed starter. UW has bucked that trend in the past, however, making O'Neil available before its matchup with the Michigan Wolverines. O'Neil said, on the Tuesday ahead of that matchup with the Wolverines, he had been practicing with the number-one offense, but Simmons ultimately got the start in Ann Arbor.

Danny O'Neil says he continues to get the majority of reps in practice as the #Badgers QB.

He says Billy Edwards Jr. continues to practice, working his way back. pic.twitter.com/JJcTS4WVGu

— Kedrick Stumbris (@KedrickStumbris) September 30, 2025

Given the decision not to make a QB available for interviews, it seems Wisconsin is trying to keep any assumptions about its starter this weekend to a minimum. Thus far for the Badgers, O'Neil has completed 70.6% of his passes, throwing five touchdowns and five interceptions. Against Iowa, Simmons completed only eight of his 21 pass attempts for 82 yards. He was responsible for three first-quarter turnovers, which resulted in 17 points for the Hawkeyes.

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