You’ve heard the praise from coaches, scout notes, and fans. But nothing quite lands like hearing it from the side that demolishes offense for a living. The guy is trying to intercept for you. That kind of respect is rare, but Big Ten Media Days provided just that for one Wisconsin QB. The buzz all week centered on one new face: QB Billy Edwards Jr., the Maryland transfer who threw for nearly 2,900 yards last season and stepped into a Badgers quarterback room devoid of any returning scholarship signal-callers.

From the moment he walked into spring camp, college football circles said Wisconsin found its missing piece: a strong arm, super accurate throws, and legit mobility. There’s speculation (read: confirmation) that Jeff Grimes is reshaping the Badgers’ offense around his dual-threat ability.

So when the media asked Wisconsin’s CB Ricardo Hallman about the new guy holding the offensive helm, he became dead serious. “Billy is really good. I think Billy is one of the best quarterbacks in the country, and I don’t care how anybody feels about that. I’m a firm believer in Billy and his arm and what he can do, and I think he’s able to affect the game running or passing.” And after what we saw in the spring practice back in April, we have no reason to doubt him. Billy has time and again shown how good his deep balls are, and combined with his run game, he becomes the definition of a ‘dual threat.’ 

Hallman continued, “I think at Maryland, they use him a lot in the running game, in a quarterback running game as well. And I think we want to use him in some type of way as well too to really showcase all of his abilities.” Now this literally feels like Wisconsin got a missing piece. Jeff Grimes, although he uses a lot of running plays, loves to add a flair of unpredictability to the game. And having Billy, the ways to use that unpredictability flair go up tenfold. Moreover, the praise is coming from a defender who has seen Big Ten QBs up close. So, that’s an acknowledgment that counts.

Reiterating our point, you can dig into spring practice, and you’ll find layered praise. Blazevich of Badger247 noted Edwards settled fast into Wisconsin’s offense and delivered consistent completions across the middle, punctuated by zip on the deep ball. Opposing DBs were left chasing. While performance can get lost in hype, Hallman’s words carry weight and validate early offseason impressions.

So, where does that leave Badger fans? It means the quarterback you’ve hoped for is earning cross-team respect—proof he might just live up to the hype. And consider this: when your own secondary scouts your quarterback as elite rather than feasible, what else is there to earn? The defense will be locked into demolishing any offense because they know a trusted guy will not let others demolish theirs.

Fickell praises Billy Edwards Jr.’s leadership and growth

Head coach Luke Fickell also tied a string of praises when asked about Maryland transfer quarterback Billy Edwards Jr. during Big Ten Media Days. While much of the offseason attention has revolved around Edwards’ arm talent and what he brings to Jeff Grimes’ new-look offense, Fickell steered the conversation toward something less measurable—leadership. “First and foremost, he’s a guy that has walked in knowing that the whole idea is that we’re going to hand over the keys to this new offense,” Fickell said. “But everything that we do is earned.” In an offseason that’s seen Wisconsin transition from chaos under center to cautious optimism, Edwards’ ability to command the room seems to have made a fast and lasting impression on his new team.

Fickell highlighted the mental and emotional maturity Edwards has shown since joining the program in January. While some transfers come in assuming the role of savior, Edwards reportedly took a different approach—one that helped him quickly earn the trust of both the locker room and the coaching staff. “He’s walked in, humbled himself in a lot of ways, earned and gained the respect of not just the locker room but everybody within the coaching staff,” Fickell explained.

“In order to do that, it takes somebody that’s well in-tune to all the things around him.” That awareness appears to have positioned Edwards as more than just another stopgap solution. He’s becoming a foundation. Moreover, Jake Renfro also talked about Billy’s leadership during the media days. So, it’d be apt to say Billy had won over the entire Wisconsin team.

As Fickell continued, it became clear that Edwards’ evolution as a vocal leader has been just as important as his ability to operate the offense. “His voice has to grow from the time he came in in January to where he is now,” Fickell said. “And I think he’s done it in an unbelievable way.” For a program trying to reset after back-to-back disappointing seasons, Edwards’ emergence as a stabilizing force at quarterback may be the biggest development of the offseason. The performance on the field still has to follow, but according to Fickell, the intangible boxes are already checked.