The Wisconsin Badgers are set to take on the Iowa Hawkeyes on Saturday as the program hopes to earn its third win of the season. However, the Badgers are experiencing some injury woes, as Billy Edwards has officially been ruled out of the contest.
As a result, Hunter Simmons will get the start against Iowa, according to Pete Nakos of On3 Sports. After Edwards was originally listed as Doubtful on Friday, head coach Luke Fickell announced that Edwards will be unavailable due to a knee sprain.
“Hunter Simmons will get start at QB for Wisconsin.”
This will be Simmons' fourth start this season for the Badgers. He's had to play more than Wisconsin likely anticipated due to Edwards dealing with a knee injury. In the three games Hunter Simmons has played so far, he has recorded 247 passing yards and one touchdown while owning a 65.8% completion percentage. He's also thrown one interception.
Meanwhile, Billy Edwards, who transferred to Wisconsin from Maryland in the offseason, has been lackluster due to the injuries. The senior quarterback has only played in two games in the 2025-26 campaign and has recorded just 113 passing yards with a 43.8% completion percentage.
As for the Hawkeyes, quarterback Mark Gronowski is said to be trending in the right direction to play, per Nakos. Ultimately, it depends on how Gronowski is feeling, but it sounds like Iowa will have its starting quarterback available.
“Iowa QB Mark Gronowski is not listed on the Big Ten injury report. How he feels pregame will be the determining factor if he plays for the Hawkeyes, but source tells On3 Sports it is trending in the right direction.”
We'll see if Edwards can eventually bounce back and help the Badgers down the road. If not, then there is a chance he'll be given a red shirt this year. But that would only happen if he fails to play in four games or fewer on the season. For now, Simmons gets another start as Wisconsin takes on a tough Iowa team on Saturday.
