5 thoughts on Wisconsin football's offense after 4 spring practices
Already more than a quarter of the way through spring ball. Here are some takeaways from these early Badgers practices.
How Colton Joseph continues to progress with the University of Wisconsin football program’s offense is one spring storyline to monitor. Yet one can argue there’s more intrigue of how the pecking order behind him at quarterback begins to work itself over the next few weeks.
Joseph, the Sun Belt offensive player of the year last season, was one of Wisconsin’s key transfer signings and one of three new faces in Kenny Guiton’s position group. Joseph has led the first-team offense during the first four spring practices that started March 19, which is no surprise considering his resume at Old Dominion the last two seasons where he threw for 4,251 yards and 32 touchdowns while also accumulating 1,654 yards rushing and another 24 touchdowns.
Perhaps the real question with this position group during the next month is who puts themselves in prime position as his backup heading into fall camp, especially considering Wisconsin’s “luck” at the position group the last three seasons.
Returning is Danny O’Neil, who played in seven games last season (three starts), but he suffered an injury against Washington in early November and hasn’t practiced this spring. Redshirt freshman Carter Smith started the final three contests last season and displayed a grittiness in leading the offense during a more resurgent November for the program.
The Badgers welcomed two other signal callers besides Joseph, transfer Deuce Adams (from Louisville) and freshman early enrollee Ryan Hopkins.
Adams, Smith and Hopkins all have received second-team snaps1 since March 19. No quarterback’s been perfect in protecting the ball through the air during the four practices, as quite honestly, one would expect at this point of the spring and the new faces in the group.
