The Badgers landed their quarterback in the 2026 class on Sunday night.
The Wisconsin Badgers had some major news on Sunday night, as 2026 four-star quarterback Ryan Hopkins verbally committed to the program, becoming the team’s top signal-caller in the cycle.
Hopkins, a 6’3, 195-pound quarterback, is a native of Southern California, and will play at powerhouse Mater Dei this season after spending the last two years at JSerra Catholic.
He is the fifth commitment for Wisconsin in the 2026 class and their top choice at quarterback, as the Badgers spent quite some time recruiting the four-star, having been the second team to offer him a scholarship.
What does this commitment mean for the Badgers at quarterback?
More additions coming?
At the moment, Hopkins is expected to be the lone quarterback for Wisconsin in the class. He had been atop their board, with Missouri being a strong suitor for the four-star as well.
The Badgers had also been courting a few other signal-callers, including three-star quarterback Travis Burgess and four-star quarterback Brodie McWhorter. Both have Wisconsin among their finalists, although the Badgers aren’t perceived as the favorite in either recruitment currently.
Nonetheless, there could have been pressure with just one spot at the position for the Badgers, and Hopkins took it, making his commitment official a little earlier than expected.
Now, with how active the Badgers have been in other commitments, could this be a multi-quarterback class? It doesn’t appear that’ll be the case.
Wisconsin is shorthanded in the quarterback room. They have only three scholarship quarterbacks right now with Billy Edwards, Danny O’Neil, and Carter Smith. That number stays at three next year when Edwards departs and Hopkins enters the room.
That’s leaving out any potential transfer news, but Wisconsin may need to hit the transfer portal regardless for extra players in the room.
One worry
With Hopkins in the fold, the Badgers’ recruiting could start to take off even more, as there’s stability with who the quarterback will be for the class.
However, there is one worry: Hopkins’s recruitment taking a jump.
The Badgers were in early on the four-star quarterback, but he’s starting to get some notice following the move to Mater Dei and has a huge opportunity ahead of him this season. If that buzz continues, Hopkins could get a big offer from another school, such as Ohio State.
If he does flip his commitment later in the cycle, Wisconsin could be at a disadvantage, as it would be harder to get one of their old targets at quarterback, and there doesn’t seem to be a viable backup option right now.
The Badgers are already facing issues with the numbers at quarterback. They need to come away with one of their top quarterbacks in the class. They have that right now with Hopkins, but they can’t afford to lose him now with their quarterback situation.