Passer Rating vs EPA: Which Tells You More?
Why we rank quarterbacks by EPA per dropback, and what passer rating still gets right.
Read Article →Wisconsin Badgers Quarterbacks and Receivers
Big Ten. Starting quarterbacks by year: 2026: Colton Joseph; 2025: Hunter Simmons, Danny O'Neil, Carter Smith, Billy Edwards Jr.; 2024: Braedyn Locke, Tyler Van Dyke; 2023: Tanner Mordecai, Braedyn Locke.
Wisconsin Starting Quarterbacks and Receivers by Season
| Season | Quarterbacks (starts) | Top receivers (targets) | Pass Yds | TD-INT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Colton Joseph (5) | Tyrell Henry 43, Eugene Hilton Jr. 20, Jacob Harris 18 | 1,132 | 10-4 |
| 2025 | Hunter Simmons (4), Danny O'Neil (3), Carter Smith (3), Billy Edwards Jr. (2) | Lance Mason 52, Vinny Anthony II 51, Trech Kekahuna 42 | 1,657 | 9-13 |
| 2024 | Braedyn Locke (9), Tyler Van Dyke (3) | Will Pauling 40, Vinny Anthony II 39, Trech Kekahuna 30 | 2,393 | 14-8 |
| 2023 | Tanner Mordecai (9), Braedyn Locke (3) | Will Pauling 86, Skyler Bell 44, Bryson Green 35 | 2,443 | 11-5 |
| 2022 | Graham Mertz (12) | Chimere Dike 43, Skyler Bell 33, Keontez Lewis 24 | 2,202 | 20-10 |
| 2021 | Graham Mertz (12) | Jake Ferguson 49, Kendric Pryor 45, Danny Davis III 44 | 1,927 | 10-9 |
| 2020 | Graham Mertz (6) | Jake Ferguson 34, Jack Dunn 30, Garrett Groshek 23 | 1,114 | 9-6 |
| 2019 | Jack Coan (13) | Quintez Cephus 76, Jake Ferguson 33, Danny Davis III 32 | 2,604 | 17-4 |
| 2018 | Alex Hornibrook (9), Jack Coan (3) | Danny Davis III 53, A.J. Taylor 53, Jake Ferguson 48 | 1,999 | 18-13 |
| 2017 | Alex Hornibrook (13) | Troy Fumagalli 65, Quintez Cephus 36, Danny Davis III 34 | 2,426 | 21-15 |
| 2016 | Alex Hornibrook (9), Bart Houston (4) | Jazz Peavy 81, Troy Fumagalli 54, Robert Wheelwright 48 | 2,343 | 13-10 |
| 2015 | Joel Stave (12) | Alex Erickson 115, Dare Ogunbowale 46, Troy Fumagalli 41 | 2,776 | 13-13 |
| 2014 | Joel Stave (8), Tanner McEvoy (5) | Alex Erickson 87, Sam Arneson 37, Kenzel Doe 25 | 1,954 | 14-12 |
| 2013 | Joel Stave (12) | Jared Abbrederis 114, Jacob Pedersen 51, James White 41 | 2,445 | 20-12 |
| 2012 | Joel Stave (6), Curt Phillips (4), Danny O'Brien (3) | Jared Abbrederis 64, Jacob Pedersen 46, Kenzel Doe 25 | 2,113 | 14-5 |
| 2011 | Russell Wilson (13) | Nick Toon 78, Jared Abbrederis 65, Jacob Pedersen 37 | 2,983 | 32-4 |
College starts are inferred: the team's first passer in each game.
2026 Wisconsin Target Tree
| Player | Pos | Tgt | Rec | Yds | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tyrell Henry | WR | 43 | 26 | 339 | 1 |
| Eugene Hilton Jr. | WR | 20 | 10 | 115 | 1 |
| Jacob Harris | TE | 18 | 13 | 238 | 3 |
| Chris Brooks Jr. | WR | 17 | 11 | 194 | 2 |
| Darrion Dupree | RB | 9 | 7 | 62 | 0 |
| Malachi Coleman | WR | 8 | 5 | 122 | 2 |
| Emmett Bork | TE | 8 | 2 | 10 | 1 |
| Grant Stec | TE | 5 | 4 | 25 | 0 |
| Shamar Rigby | WR | 5 | 1 | 11 | 0 |
| Abu Sama III | RB | 2 | 2 | 16 | 0 |
| Bryan Jackson II | RB | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ryan Schwendeman | TE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
2026 Wisconsin Games
| Week | Opponent | Result | Quarterback | Cmp-Att | Yds | TD | INT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | at ND | L 13-41 | Colton Joseph | 19-29 | 217 | 1 | 0 |
| Week 2 | vs western illinois | W 36-9 | Colton Joseph | 12-22 | 173 | 1 | 0 |
| Week 3 | vs EMU | W 54-10 | Colton Joseph | 23-33 | 362 | 3 | 1 |
| Week 4 | at PSU | W 24-20 | Colton Joseph | 18-38 | 235 | 2 | 3 |
| Week 5 | vs MSU | W 31-3 | Colton Joseph | 9-20 | 145 | 3 | 0 |
2026 Wisconsin Connections
| QB → Receiver | Tgt | Cmp | Yds | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colton Joseph → Tyrell Henry | 43 | 26 | 339 | 1 |
| Colton Joseph → Eugene Hilton Jr. | 20 | 10 | 115 | 1 |
| Colton Joseph → Jacob Harris | 18 | 13 | 238 | 3 |
| Colton Joseph → Chris Brooks Jr. | 17 | 11 | 194 | 2 |
| Colton Joseph → Darrion Dupree | 9 | 7 | 62 | 0 |
| Colton Joseph → Malachi Coleman | 8 | 5 | 122 | 2 |
| Colton Joseph → Emmett Bork | 8 | 2 | 10 | 1 |
| Colton Joseph → Grant Stec | 5 | 4 | 25 | 0 |
| Colton Joseph → Shamar Rigby | 5 | 1 | 11 | 0 |
QBS BLOG · PASSING QUESTIONS · MINDSET
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Completion percentage over expected gives credit for difficult completions. Here is how ACE measures it.
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