The Wisconsin Badgers’ quarterback room will look very different in 2025 than it did in 2024. And for good reason. After Tyler Van Dyke tore his ACL and was sidelined for the season, head coach Luke Fickell and former offensive coordinator Phil Longo tapped the junior to fill the junior position. Braedyn Locke take over as starting quarterback.
Locke struggled as the Badgers’ quarterback, completing just 55.4% of his passes for 1,936 yards, 13 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. Even when Longo was fired midway through the season, Fickell opted to stick with the struggling junior, which could have cost Wisconsin a bowl game for the first time in more than two decades.
As the offseason progressed for the Badgers, all of their 2024 quarterbacks entered the transfer portal, even backups Mabrey Mettauer and Cole LaCrue.
Former Wisconsin Badgers point guard Braedyn Locke is joining the Arizona Wildcats
After his destitute play in 2024 and Longo’s firing, it became clear that Locke had no future at Wisconsin. With the writing on the wall, he entered the transfer portal after the season.
And now it has found a recent home:
Former Wisconsin quarterback Braedyn Locke is transferring to Arizona. Locke started 12 games in two seasons with the Badgers.
— Dillon Graff (@DillonGraff) December 27, 2024
As you can see from the post above, Locke moves to Arizona Wildcats. Locke immediately becomes an elder statesman in the quarterback room at Arizona, which had six players at the position last season, all of whom were freshmen or sophomores.
Who will be the quarterback of the Wisconsin Badgers in 2025?
Despite losing their entire quarterback room to the transfer portal, the Badgers were also able to add some intriguing players through the portal on their own.
One of them is former Maryland quarterback Billy Edwards Jr., who completed 65.0% of his passes for 2,881 yards, 15 touchdowns and nine interceptions last season. He led the Big 10 with 420 pass attempts. Edwards has one year of eligibility left.
Additionally, Wisconsin acquired former San Diego State quarterback Danny O’Neil, who completed 63.3% for 2,181 yards, 12 touchdowns and six interceptions as a true freshman last season. He has three years of eligibility remaining.
If Fickell stays true to his current way of handling quarterbacks, Edwards will start in 2025 and O’Neil will be waiting in the wings to take over in 2026.
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