Wisconsin football head coach Luke Fickell referred to transfer quarterback Colton Joseph as the program’s “1A” quarterback when meeting with the media on Wednesday morning.
Joseph, who entered the transfer portal on Dec. 7, spent his first two seasons with the Old Dominion Monarchs before committing to Luke Fickell’s program on Jan. 3. The Newport Beach, California, native is poised to take the reins as the Badgers’ No. 1 quarterback for the 2026 campaign, a position held by a committee of pass-throwers in 2025.
“He fits us,” Fickell said. “He understands what a team looks like, understands his role is to lead not only an offense, but a program as well.”
In 21 career games with the Monarchs, he logged 306 completions for 4,251 yards and 32 scores through the air. The dual-threat signal-caller also registered 272 attempts for 1,654 yards and 24 scores on the ground dating back to 2024.
Joseph’s 2025 season with Old Dominion certainly impressed Wisconsin’s brass. As a redshirt sophomore, he threw for 2,624 yards and 21 touchdowns and accumulated over 1,000 yards and 13 scores as a rusher, enough to land him the Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Year nod for his on-field efforts in 2025.
“He was definitely the guy we pinpointed for quite a while that we wanted to lead our program,” Fickell added.
Fickell also confirmed veteran outside linebacker Aaron Witt will return to the program for his seventh year of action. Over the past two seasons, Witt notched 41 total tackles (27 solo) and 5.5 tackles for loss across 23 contests.
Joseph’s Badgers open their 2026 season with a bout against Notre Dame on Sept. 6 in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
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This article originally appeared on Badgers Wire: Luke Fickell outlines vision for Wisconsin transfer QB Colton Joseph
Reporting by Mike Hall, Badgers Wire / Badgers Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
