3 quick takeaways from Wisconsin’s spring practice No. 3: We’ve got a new QB pecking order
The Wisconsin Badgers have kicked off their spring practices, finishing their third on Tuesday, as they continued to showcase a team that has over 40 new players heading into 2026.
Tuesday’s was my first practice in attendance, and the Badgers were still not in pads, but there was much to take away from the day, starting with the quarterbacks all the way down the roster.
Here are three quick takeaways from Wisconsin’s spring practice No. 3.
Early QB outlook
The Badgers brought in Old Dominion transfer Colton Joseph to be their starting quarterback, landing their No. 1 target in the portal, as they looked for a dual-threat option with experience.
They were also able to retain 2025 four-star Carter Smith, who is entering his sophomore year, while adding Louisville transfer Deuce Adams and 2026 four-star Ryan Hopkins. Those four should make up the quarterback depth chart this year.
As it’s still very early in the spring schedule, I’m not looking to make any bold declarations or assumptions, but there was some good and some struggles from Joseph on Tuesday.
Early on, in 1-on-1s between wide receivers and cornerbacks, Joseph looked a little erratic with his accuracy. He missed high on a throw, was late on a comeback that turned into an easy interception, and missed wide once or twice. Those are accuracy concerns that you’d expect to get better with timing with new receivers, but also ones you want to see how they improve over the course of the spring.
Joseph did settle in later in the practice and had a couple of nice throws. In 7-on-7s, he fit a nice ball into Tyrell Henry for a 20-yard touchdown with two defenders in the area, showing his confidence as a thrower and ability to connect on those throws.
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