2,600-Yard College Football Transfer Named Most Underrated QB in Big Ten

There were over 10,000 college football players who entered their names into the transfer portal during the Jan. 2-16 window.

As they normally are, quarterbacks were the hottest commodity and topic in the portal, as dozens of teams around the country were in search of their missing piece. One signal caller that was generating buzz as the best to make the jump from the Group of Five level to the Power 4 level was Old Dominion's Colton Joseph.

The Newport Beach, California, native threw for 2,624 yards with 21 touchdowns, while also showcasing an ability to be one of the sport's top dual-threats. Joseph rushed for 1,007 yards and an additional 13 scores on the ground en route to being named the Sun Belt's Offensive Player of the Year.

Despite having offers and interest from programs such as Stanford, TCU and Florida State, Joseph opted to make his way to Big Ten country and play for the Wisconsin Badgers.

While notable quarterbacks such as Darian Mensah (Miami), Sam Leavitt (LSU), Brendan Sorsby (Texas Tech) and Dylan Raiola (Oregon) made more headlines, SleeperCFB tabbed Joseph as the most underrated quarterback in the entire Big Ten.

Most Underrated QBs in each P4 Conference:

ACC: Mason Heintschel (Pittsburgh)
Big 10: Colton Joseph (Wisconsin)
Big 12: Cutter Boley (Arizona State)
SEC: Kamario Taylor (Mississippi State) pic.twitter.com/k9cW7j94nH
— SleeperCFB (@SleeperCFB) February 17, 2026

With his veteran experience and dual-threat abilities, Joseph will be tasked with facing a couple of major challenges.

The Badgers are in search of their first season above .500 since Luke Fickell's first year on the job in 2023. While this won't directly fall on Joseph's shoulders, as there are plenty of other factors, Fickell is likely hoping that Joseph can help save his job in Madison.

Old Dominion Monarchs quarterback Colton Joseph (1). | Brian Bishop-Imagn Images

After a tremendous run at Cincinnati that saw him go 57-18 in six years while also leading the Bearcats to the four-team College Football Playoff as a Group of Five program, Fickell has struggled to replicate his success at Wisconsin.

He has a 17-21 record through his first four years, with the majority of the struggles coming from the fact that they have had inconsistent quarterback play. This year saw Billy Edwards get injured and play in just two games, while last season saw Tyler Van Dyke play in just three games before suffering a season-ending injury.

The 2023 season was a similar scenario as well, as Tanner Mordecai was banged up throughout the season, missing 3.5 games.

For Joseph, he gets a chance to prove he belongs at the Big Ten level, and may also have a chance to be the answer that Fickell and the Badgers have so badly needed.