Wisconsin Lands Veteran Switch Quarterback Billy Edwards Jr.
The College of Wisconsin has remade its quarterback room with two starters in a single weekend, injecting some wanted competitors right into a stagnate place over the previous 4 seasons.
Asserting the switch of San Diego State quarterback Danny O’Neil Monday morning, the Badgers added Maryland senior quarterback Billy Edwards Jr. to provide new offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes some extra choices to rebuild Wisconsin’s struggling offense.
Quarterback was probably the highest precedence for Wisconsin and first-year offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes within the portal after starters Braedyn Locke and Tyler Van Dyke entered the portal. Earlier than the commitments, UW’s solely scholarship quarterbacks on the projected spring roster have been redshirt freshman Mabrey Mettauer and incoming freshman Carter Smith. Landyn Locke, Braedyn’s youthful brother, introduced Monday he was decommitting from this system after signing throughout this month’s signing interval.
After getting into the portal on Thursday, Edwards took an official go to to Wisconsin over the weekend. He was scheduled to go to Michigan on Monday earlier than canceling the journey. The Wolverines landed one of many prime quarterbacks within the 2025 class in Bryce Underwood and signed him to a reported eight-figure NIL deal. Underwood is rated the nation’s No.2 prospect and quarterback by Rivals.com.
Edwards’ resolution means he is buying and selling in a single struggling Massive Ten college for one more. Like Wisconsin, the Terrapins completed the season on a five-game shedding streak. Nonetheless, Maryland’s 4-8 general file wasn’t due to its passing offense.
Maryland’s passing offense ranked seventeenth nationally at 275.7 yards per sport with Edwards largely underneath middle. He threw for two,881 yards, 15 touchdowns, and 9 interceptions in 11 video games in his first season as Maryland’s beginning quarterback. The junior eclipsed 300 passing yards 4 occasions, together with a season-high 373 yards in a house victory over USC. He additionally ran 81 occasions for 150 yards and 5 touchdowns.
His 65 % completion share was almost 10 share factors larger than Locke’s numbers in his 9 begins final season.
The Terrapins completed 1-8 in Massive Ten play, surrendering at the very least 27 factors per contest.
Wisconsin’s Air-Raid offense by no means materialized underneath Phil Longo, who was fired November 17 after Wisconsin was held to a then season-low 226 yards in a 16-13 loss in opposition to No.1 Oregon. Fickell’s rent of Grimes, who was a finalist for the Frank Broyles Award because the nation’s prime assistant coach at Baylor in 2021 and at BYU in 2020, alerts the Badgers wish to return to their roots of a power-running college with a balanced passing offense to go with the run.
Wisconsin completed the common season 99th nationally in complete offense (350.3 ypg), tied for 107th in scoring (22.6), and tied for a hundred and tenth in red-zone offense (78.0 %). Wisconsin’s passing offense ranks a centesimal within the nation at 196.7 yards per sport, averaging solely 11.4 yards per completion and 6.5 yards per try.
Edwards accomplished at the very least one 25-yard cross in each full sport he performed.
It’s the third college for Edwards, who started his profession at Wake Forest and spent the final three seasons at Maryland.
Wisconsin will open its 2025 Massive Ten schedule internet hosting Maryland on September 20.
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