What we heard from Kenny Guiton about Wisconsin football’s quarterback room
Kenny Guiton discussed Colton Joseph’s growth and the backup QB competition between Ryan Hopkins and Deuce Adams during fall camp.
The Wisconsin football program doesn’t have a quarterback competition at the top of its depth chart entering 2026.
Colton Joseph is the guy. What quarterbacks coach Kenny Guiton is still trying to determine during fall camp is what Wisconsin has behind him.
True freshman Ryan Hopkins and Louisville transfer Deuce Adams are legitimately competing for the backup job. At the same time, Carter Smith is continuing to develop, and Danny O’Neil is gradually working his way back from injury. Through the early portion of camp, Guiton has started getting a clearer picture of what each quarterback brings to the room.
Here are the biggest takeaways from Guiton’s media availability.
Colton Joseph looks considerably more comfortable leading
Joseph, who was the Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Year in 2025, signed with Wisconsin this offseason, knowing he would be expected to take control of an offense desperately in need of improved quarterback play.
Guiton believes that responsibility initially weighed on him.
“I kind of felt like he came in the spring with the world on his shoulders, feeling like he had to do everything,” Guiton said. “And you can just see him hit his stride where it was like, ‘Okay, I’m going to go out here and play ball, lead my guys.’”
That comfort has carried into fall camp.
Joseph remains a newcomer, but Guiton believes the work he put in during winter conditioning, spring practice and summer workouts helped establish the relationships necessary for him to become the unquestioned leader of the offense.
The next step is finding the balance between what makes Joseph dangerous and what Wisconsin needs from its quarterback.
“We want the aggressiveness,” Guiton said. “But smart aggression, right?”
That means understanding when to attack downfield and when the defense has taken something away. Guiton considers decision-making one of the most important responsibilities of the position because the quarterback touches the football every snap.
Joseph’s physical tools give Wisconsin plenty of options. He accounted for 34 total touchdowns last season while finishing with 2,624 passing yards and 1,007 yards on the ground. Guiton now wants him making the correct decision often enough for that dual-threat ability to matter.
Ryan Hopkins is making the backup competition interesting
Wisconsin didn’t bring Hopkins in expecting him to look like a typical true freshman.
Even so, his early maturity has stood out.
“Just the maturity level that he comes in with as a true freshman, it’s just outstanding,” Guiton said. “It’s really above the line. He’s a guy that can naturally go out there and lead on a consistent basis. You know what to expect out of him. He’s not going to come out and be two different guys one day to the next.”
Hopkins has even organized meetings with fellow freshmen outside the facility to help receivers and tight ends learn the offense.
That maturity has put him squarely into a competition with Adams. The Louisville transfer offers something Hopkins can’t yet replicate: college experience.
“You can just tell [Deuce has] played college ball,” Guiton said. “No moment gets too high for him. No moment, he’s going to get too low on himself if there is a bad play. He’s just a guy that kind of stays neutral.”
Guiton wants Adams to become more vocal as a leader, but his ability to remain composed has helped keep the competition legitimate. Adams appeared in six games for Louisville last season, while completing 15-of-21 passes for 112 yards and adding 33 yards on the ground.
And Guiton isn’t rushing the decision.
“Those are game days for those guys,” Guiton said of fall camp practices. “Twenty-five games worth, I promise y’all I’ll have enough film to know exactly which direction we want to go.”
Guiton likes the development happening throughout the room
Wisconsin’s quarterback room has some options they like beyond Joseph, Hopkins and Adams.
O’Neil has begun working his way back from injury after appearing in seven games and making three starts for Wisconsin last season. He completed 61-of-90 passes for 635 yards and five touchdowns while adding 58 rushing yards and another score.
Although his availability has been limited during fall camp, Guiton has been impressed by how the veteran has handled the situation.
“He’s been a guy that hadn’t sat in the back and pouted or anything like that,” Guiton said. “He just stood tall. He’s leading. You can see him in the huddle at times, just telling guys it’s time to go.”
Smith has also caught Guiton’s attention.
The redshirt freshman quarterback has made mechanical adjustments and, according to Guiton, has responded particularly well to individualized coaching during camp.
“I don’t coach them all the same,” Guiton said. “Carter gets what he needs. And I thought Carter has done a really good job this fall camp in taking on the coaching.”
That’s ultimately what Guiton likes most about the room.
Joseph has separated himself as QB1. Hopkins and Adams are giving Wisconsin a legitimate decision to make behind him. O’Neil remains engaged while returning from a lower-body injury, and Smith continues to develop further down the depth chart.
“You got five guys in there that want to be coached, that want to open their heart and say, ‘Coach, come coach me, man,’” Guiton said. “As a coach, that is something that you really relish and cherish.”
Wisconsin already knows who will lead its quarterback room onto the field this fall. What Guiton is learning now is that the competition behind Joseph might give the Badgers more options than they initially expected, which would be a welcome growth for a position group that has been snakebitten by injuries during the Luke Fickell era.
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