What we learned about Wisconsin’s backup QB duel from fall practice No. 1

Breaking down what Deuce Adams and Ryan Hopkins showed during the first action of the fall

Quarterbacks Deuce Adams and Ryan Hopkins during Wisconsin's fall camp practice on August 6. | Christian Borman

Since Luke Fickell took over in 2023, his backup quarterbacks have been thrown into the fire, filling in for at least a few games each season and essentially all of 2024 and 2025. In an ideal world, no quarterback besides Colton Joseph enters a game until the outcome is already decided. Still, entering fall camp, the ongoing competition for the backup job between Deuce Adams and Ryan Hopkins is arguably the most intriguing positional ahead of the season.

After one practice, where players wore helmets only and did no real tackling, it’s impossible to form a concrete stance on where the duel for the backup spot stands, but both guys had plenty of opportunities to throw against coverages today. 

Reps with the second team seemed to be split fairly evenly, with each signal caller having chances to throw to receivers who will certainly play high snap counts this fall. As expected, there were some first-day jitters, and not just from the backups.

In what was one of the plays of the day, Hopkins was picked off early by Cooper Catalano. The freshman quarterback forced the ball over the middle a little bit, but it felt more like a spectacular play by Catalano than anything, who made a leaping grab. Hopkins didn’t seem rattled, however, and seemed to settle in after the turnover.

Adams’ first couple of passes also suggested some nerves. His first was an almost immediate checkdown, followed by a difficult attempt into multiple defenders along the sideline. It was a bit forced, but the ball was placed well enough near the boundary that it was never in danger of being intercepted.

A little later, Adams coughed up an interception of his own. In an attempt to deliver a strike in traffic, his throw was slightly behind target, causing it to be batted up into the air and picked off. 

Like Hopkins, Adams also seemed to shake off the turnover and find his footing a bit as practice progressed. Once the team entered a more scrimmage-like portion of practice—as much as it can without pads—Hopkins seemed to have the more productive day.

Ryan Hopkins throws on the run during Wisconsin's fall camp practice on August 6. | Christian Borman.

Outside of one major downfield connection between Joseph and Chris Brooks Jr., the play of the day offensively was USC transfer Bryan Jackson II taking a screen pass from Hopkins to the house. Jackson obviously did the majority of the work, but the way Hopkins dropped his arm angle to drop it off was impressive. 

Throughout the practice, Hopkins flashed his ability to throw at different angles, and delivered strikes into fairly tight windows. Neither he or Adams had many opportunities to push the ball downfield, but it felt like the freshman was comfortable taking what was given to him and not forcing difficult throws.

If Wisconsin took the field against Notre Dame tomorrow and needed a replacement at quarterback for whatever reason, Adams may be the choice given his collegiate experience. But, as was the case toward the end of spring, Hopkins’ upside will be difficult to ignore as he competes for a backup spot in his true freshman season.

Once again, it was just one practice—and against a pseudo-defense at that—but what is clear is that the battle to become the No. 2 quarterback will be one to monitor until the season begins.