Wisconsin football lands Southern Illinois transfer quarterback Hunter Simmons
Wisconsin football adds veteran QB Hunter Simmons from Southern Illinois, providing much-needed depth and experience to a rebuilt room.
You don’t always need a headliner. Sometimes, you just need a steady hand. That’s exactly what Wisconsin football got with the addition of Southern Illinois quarterback Hunter Simmons, a graduate transfer who gives the Badgers another layer of depth heading into next season.
This move may not make headlines, but it checks an important box.
Simmons, a 6-foot-3, 215-pound quarterback from Marion, Illinois, visited campus during the Badgers' final weekend of spring practice. By Wednesday night, Simmons made it official—announcing on Instagram that he’ll spend his final year of collegiate eligibility in Madison.
His arrival gives Luke Fickell, Jeff Grimes, and Kenny Guiton something they didn’t have before spring: much-needed insulation, a solid practice arm, and another veteran presence with real college experience.
And in today’s game—where it’s become increasingly difficult to build and maintain quarterback depth because of the transfer portal—that matters a lot more than fans want to admit.
What Wisconsin’s Getting in Hunter Simmons
Simmons will make the move to Wisconsin after spending the last three seasons with Southern Illinois. Last season, Simmons completed 57% of his passes for 852 yards and three touchdowns across five appearances before suffering a season-ending injury in October.
He started three of those games and flashed real upside, especially in back-to-back performances with 341 yards and a touchdown vs. Southeast Missouri State, followed by 306 yards and two scores vs. South Dakota.
That stretch made Simmons the second player in Saluki history to throw for 300+ yards in his first two career starts.
And there’s some familiarity here: Blake Rolan, now an assistant wide receivers coach at Wisconsin, was Simmons’ quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator at Southern Illinois. That relationship likely played a role in bringing Simmons on board as a depth piece.
So no—this wasn’t random.
And no—this doesn’t shake up the top of the depth chart. Billy Edwards Jr., the Maryland transfer, remains the unquestioned QB1.
“Everything is kind of what I thought it would be with him—and maybe just a little bit more,” Grimes told reporters. “Everything led me to believe that he was going to be a smart, tough, competitive kid who would do everything that he could to be successful and a leader.
"And he’s been all of that. His preparation, I would say, is well above what most college quarterbacks are. Just what he does before he shows up is significant in terms of getting ready for practice from a physical, mental, and emotional standpoint. He shows up ready to go every day."
But as we talked about earlier this offseason, Wisconsin’s quarterback room needed one more signal caller in the room. And now they’ve got it.
Why this move makes sense
During the offseason, Wisconsin had to add three scholarship quarterbacks and rebuild their room from the ground up after Tyler Van Dyke, Braedyn Locke, and Mabrey Mettauer all exited via the portal.
That group of incoming quarterbacks included Edwards Jr. from Maryland, San Diego State transfer Danny O’Neil, and true freshman Carter Smith—a former 4-star. Behind them? Walk-on Milos Spasojevic.
And as I said then, expecting to get through a full Big Ten season with that setup is more hopeful than it is strategic. Wisconsin has needed backup quarterbacks to step in and play meaningful snaps in 11 of the past 13 seasons.
Betting on good injury luck is a fool’s errand.
And while O’Neil is a steady option who has started a season's worth of games behind Edwards, there was still a clear need for another arm—someone who could come in, embrace the role of being a mentor, and bring added maturity to a room that lacked depth. Simmons fits that mold.
He’s not coming in to compete for the starting job. He’s coming to stabilize the room, be a steady presence, and serve as insurance—giving Wisconsin a veteran voice behind the scenes and a safety net for this coaching staff in case injuries pile up. It also helps protect Smith’s redshirt and adds another solid culture piece to a young quarterback room.
Where this leaves the QB room
Edwards and O’Neil are more than likely locked into their roles as the starter and preferred backup heading into fall camp, and rightfully so.
But Simmons now gives Wisconsin a veteran who can come in and push for that QB3 spot this summer alongside Smith—a high-upside true freshman who’s still early in the early stages of his development.
Let’s be honest: selling a role where the starter is established, the backup is experienced, and the quarterback of the future is already in the room was never going to be an easy pitch in the transfer portal.
So, for Wisconsin's coaching staff to lean on an existing relationship and land someone who understands the assignment—that’s a worthwhile move, especially with rosters soon getting trimmed to 105.
With Simmons on board, the Badgers finally have the kind of depth that can weather an unexpected injury during the season or in camp without sending Wisconsin's offense into full-blown panic mode.
Is it a flashy move? No. But is it smart roster management? Absolutely.
Because in this sport—especially in this era—quarterback depth is non-negotiable. And now, with spring practice nearly in the books and the portal window wide open, Wisconsin got the guy they needed. Not to turn heads. But to quietly make this team more complete.
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