Wisconsin’s backup quarterback race got its first look of fall camp, and after one helmet-only practice, the verdict is simple: this thing is wide open.
Deuce Adams and Ryan Hopkins spent plenty of the day working with the second team, and the reps appeared to be split pretty evenly. Both quarterbacks had chances to throw against coverages, but with no real tackling and only one practice in the books, there’s no clean read yet on where the competition stands.
There were early hiccups for both. Hopkins was intercepted by Cooper Catalano on one of the day’s standout plays, with the freshman quarterback forcing the ball over the middle a bit.
Catalano did the heavy lifting on the play, rising up for a leaping grab. Hopkins, though, didn’t look shaken by the turnover and seemed to settle in afterward.
Adams had his own shaky start. His first throw came almost immediately as a checkdown, and his next attempt was a tougher ball toward the sideline with multiple defenders nearby.
It was forced, but placed close enough to the boundary that it never really had interception danger. Later, Adams threw a pass that was a touch behind target in traffic, and it was batted up and picked off.
Like Hopkins, Adams regrouped as the practice went on. But once the team moved into a more scrimmage-like stretch - as much as that’s possible without pads - Hopkins appeared to have the better day.
One of the offensive highlights was USC transfer Bryan Jackson II turning a screen pass from Hopkins into a touchdown. Jackson did most of the damage after the catch, but Hopkins’ ability to drop his arm angle and get the ball out stood out on the play.
That wasn’t the only sign of what Hopkins can do. Across the practice, he showed the ability to throw from different angles and fit passes into tight windows. Neither quarterback got many chances to push the ball deep, but Hopkins looked comfortable taking what was there instead of trying to force throws.
If Wisconsin had to play Notre Dame tomorrow and needed a backup plan under center, Adams might get the nod because of his college experience. Even so, Hopkins’ upside is hard to ignore, especially as he works through his first fall camp as a true freshman.
It was only one practice, and only against a pseudo-defense, but the No. 2 quarterback battle is already shaping up as one to watch all the way to the start of the season.
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