Wisconsin Badgers OC Jeff Grimes Offers First Impressions of New QBs

When Wisconsin offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes spoke to the media Tuesday morning following the Badgers third practice of the spring, the focus was understandably on quarterbacks.

Wisconsin brought in three new players at the most important position this offseason: Old Dominion transfer Colton Joseph, Louisville transfer Deuce Adams and freshman Ryan Hopkins.

Joseph is the clear-cut QB1, but there's plenty of questions to answer in this room aside from the pecking order. Grimes addressed all three newcomers in the room at his first availability of the spring:

Colton Joseph

Again, Joseph is the clear-cut QB1. There's no competition in this room for that spot. But Joseph, and the rest of the quarterbacks, have gotten off to a slower start to spring practice. According to Grimes, that's all part of the process:

"Every day is an evaluation, but part of that growth is making those mistakes," he said. "As a coaching staff, we have to walk the line between not being able to accept certain things, but also recognizing that along the way they have to make some of those mistakes for them to really learn.”

One of Joseph's top traits is his electrifying mobility; the gunslinger ran for 1,007 yards and 13 touchdowns last fall with the Monarchs. His rushing ability has already written plenty of headlines this spring, and Wisconsin appears poised to utilize the quarterback run game quite frequently.

Grimes was asked about balancing the desire to mitigate hits on his dual-threat quarterback while also trying to get the most out of his legs:

“If you make the decision to go and recruit athletic quarterbacks, which we have...that's part of your game. You have to be willing to live with the fact that they are going to be exposed to contact a little more than a guy that’s not in that position. How you do that depends on the quarterback themselves," he said, before adding "To run the quarterback as much as you would a running back is not what any of us want."

Deuce Adams

Adams was a late addition to the Badgers' transfer portal haul, yet an important one. It's difficult to sign a second transfer quarterback who knows the QB1 gig isn't his, but that's exactly what Wisconsin pulled off.

Adams saw limited action in two seasons with Louisville. In 2025, he tossed for 112 yards on 15-of-21 passing, adding 33 yards on the ground. He appeared in six games and got one start in Week 13 against SMU.

"There's a learning curve going on, new offense, new things being asked of him. I like his poise. He’s a guy that doesn’t get too high, doesn’t get too low. He’s a good all-around player, has some really nice touch on the ball," Grimes said.

Adams' touch — and his arm talent as a whole — flashed on tape in his limited reps as well:

Deuce Adams…I wasn’t familiar with your game 👀#Badgers pic.twitter.com/uPAbFSZwZX
— Seamus (@seamus_rohrer) February 20, 2026

At the moment, Adams looks like a long-term developmental prospect. But as Badgers fans know all too well, backup quarterbacks have been relied upon frequently in the Luke Fickell era. If Adams can win the QB2 gig, history says we'll see him at some point in 2026.

Ryan Hopkins

Hopkins was a three-star prospect with a dozen Power Four offers coming out of the famed Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana, California. You like his prototypical frame at 6-foot-3, but you like his blazing speed even more: Hopkins was clocked at 10.97 in the 100-meter.

"He’s a quarterback that ran a 10.6 in high school. That’s legit speed, and it’s showing up," Grimes said.

Wisconsin now has a quarterback room comprised entirely of dual-threat quarterbacks with serious rushing ability, and that's not by accident. The quarterback run is a big part of Grimes' scheme.

But as for Hopkins, the play-caller is impressed with the true freshman early enrollee's intangibles.

“Number one, just his mentality. He’s mature beyond his years," Grimes added. "His mindset is just what you want: studies, works at it, confident but not arrogant. Has that "it" thing that you want every quarterback to have; he steps in the huddle and you feel his presence, even as a young guy."

With Joseph, Adams and returning redshirt freshman Carter Smith, Hopkins appears at least a year away from being relevant for the Badgers. But the early positive returns on his mentality and his intangibles are certainly encouraging.