The story has been the same for the Wisconsin Badgers in 2025, as quarterback injuries and inconsistencies have been the headline of an ugly 2-5 season so far.
Wisconsin lost starting quarterback Billy
Edwards in the season opener to a non-contact knee sprain, which was expected to sideline him for a few weeks. Then, after re-injuring his knee when returning too soon against the Maryland Terrapins, Edwards was sidelined again and has not played since.
In his place, the Badgers initially started sophomore Danny O’Neil, who had one good start before really struggling against the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Maryland Terrapins.
That prompted them to turn to Hunter Simmons, a transfer from Southern Illinois, but that move hasn’t worked out either, with the quarterback struggling in losses to the Michigan Wolverines, Iowa Hawkeyes, and Ohio State Buckeyes.
Wisconsin has yet to find a spark offensively at quarterback, and things seem to be getting worse week by week. Down the roster, they do have true freshman four-star Carter Smith, who was brought in as a late recruit in the 2025 class and has been with the program since the spring.
With how Wisconsin’s quarterbacks have been playing, could they give Smith a shot in the near future?
“I don’t know,” head coach Luke Fickell said on Monday about Smith. “We’ll see. We’ll see [for] some opportunities on Tuesday to see if it’s possible. It’s kind of like kicking a field goal with the end of the game, everybody can ask and question, and try to figure out what’s best. It’s the same question I get in my own home. So I understand there’s an opportunity for everybody in the program now to earn a chance to go out there.
“Carter could be one of them. We got to be able to see, but we got to be able to see some things on Tuesday, Wednesday, because to support the guys in that locker room, you also got to do what the guys in this locker room see and believe in, and to just put somebody out there, [I’m] not saying Carter doesn’t deserve the opportunity. I’m not saying anybody doesn’t deserve the opportunity. Cooper Catalano does. He is another freshman guy that’s playing a lot of ball that maybe gets more opportunities this week.
“It has a lot to do with making sure you can maintain the respect of that locker room and knowing that those guys know everything you know. They know how guys handle their business, they know how guys work, and they know what they want to play with and decide whether it’s going to give them the best opportunity to win or not, they got a better grasp sometimes than, I can assure you, than anybody outside the locker room.”
Last year, I was completely opposed to the idea of Mabrey Mettauer playing during the season, even through Braedyn Locke’s struggles. From what I had seen in spring ball and fall camp, Mettauer was a long way away from being ready to play in the Big Ten. And he’s shown that this year in limited time at 0-7 Sam Houston State under Phil Longo.
However, a part of the reasoning behind that was to keep Mettauer’s confidence high, rather than shatter it too soon, knowing he still could be an option for the team in the future.
At this stage of the season for the Badgers, they don’t definitively know who will or will not be here next year, even with the vote of confidence from Chris McIntosh. Given how bad their quarterback play has been, providing Smith a chance could allow for an early evaluation to see if he’s one of those young building blocks that Wisconsin should look to retain this offseason.
Now, the problem is Wisconsin’s schedule. The Badgers play the Oregon Ducks, Washington Huskies, Indiana Hoosiers, Illinois Fighting Illini, and Minnesota Golden Gophers in their last five games. Those are some tough, tough opponents, especially for a true freshman quarterback.
But, if the Badgers do want to get a sense of what they may have in Smith, testing him in a game environment wouldn’t hurt, both for the now and for the future. A realistic point could be after this weekend’s game, as the Badgers have a bye week to get things straight before moving into the last part of their season.
