The 2025 Wisconsin football season was awful. The Badgers finished 4-8 and won two games to start the year, and then finished out the season with two wins in their last four games. One of the Badgers' issues was their offensive struggles. Quarterback Billy Edwards Jr. only played in two games for the Badgers before injuring his knee.
ESPN senior college football writer Pete Thamel was among the first to report that Edwards was entering the transfer portal and leaving Madison. Injuries hampered his lone season, and head coach Luke Fickell and the Badgers split time between three other quarterbacks. Edwards started his career at Maryland and will have options for his last season in college football.
Thamel posted: “Wisconsin QB Billy Edwards Jr plans to enter the NCAA transfer portal, he tells ESPN. Edwards is expected to receive a medical redshirt and be ready for spring ball. He played just two games for the Badgers after getting injured in the opener.”
Edwards played for Maryland for three seasons before leaving for Wisconsin this past season. In 2024, his last season where he was healthy, he had 2,881 passing yards, 15 passing touchdowns, and nine interceptions. In total, Edwards started 26 games for the Terrapins. He had 3,317 passing yards and 19 touchdowns for the Terrapins, while only throwing 10 interceptions.
The Badgers and Edwards are parting ways after this season was cut short for him, and both the Badgers and Edwards Jr. should have a significant market available to them. Edwards is a former three-star recruit out of Virginia, and his experience will be coveted by a few programs even though he only has one season of eligibility left.
The Wisconsin football program has its own issues to address outside the quarterback position, as it granted head coach Luke Fickell another year to right the ship, but he has only had one winning season in four seasons. There is a lot to fix, and Fickell has the opportunity to change everything if he can get it right. The athletic director stood by Fickell, and now he has to prove it.
