Billy Edwards Jr. injury update: Luke Fickell reveals status for Wisconsin QB in Week 2

Wisconsin quarterback Billy Edwards Jr. left the Badgers’ 17-0 win over Miami (OH) in the second quarter after suffering a sprained knee. On Tuesday, Wisconsin head coach Luke Fickell provided an update on Edwards’ status for the team’s Week 2 matchup against Middle Tennessee State.

“I don’t believe that Billy will be playing,” Fickell said, per Badger Connect’s Jesse Temple. “He didn’t practice, so obviously Danny [O’Neil] would be the guy we would go with and Hunter [Simmons] would be the backup.”

Edwards’ injury was initially feared to be season-ending because it was a non-contact injury. However, his MRI came back clean. Edwards’ injury occurred after he handed the ball off and turned to divert the opposing defense.

Before leaving the game, Edwards completed 6-of-his-13 pass attempts for 68 yards. He neither threw a touchdown, nor an interception. Danny O’Neil took over the offense in Edwards’ absence and finished the game with 120 passing yards and a touchdown, while throwing a pick.

Edwards returned to the sidelines in street clothes after being evaluated in the locker room. The senior QB transferred to Wisconsin this offseason after spending three years at Maryland.

Edwards started 11 games for the Terrapins in the 2024 campaign, completing 65.0% of his pass attempts for 2,881 yards and 15 touchdowns, compared to nine interceptions. He was ranked the No. 24 QB in On3’s 2025 Transfer Portal Player Rankings.

While Edwards wasn’t able to fully put his skills on display in Week 1, he impressed Wisconsin’s coaching staff during the offseason. In June, Badgers offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes raved about Edwards.

“His preparation and his willingness to study and be ready for every single day is phenomenal, maybe the best I’ve been around,” Grimes said. “He allows us to be as multiple as we are.

“You watch us practice and you see the multiple formations and shifts and motions, and you see the quarterback directing things at the line of scrimmage. That takes a lot of work. We wouldn’t be able to do the things we’re doing, in terms of pure volume schematically, if we didn’t have a guy like him.”

Wisconsin will have no choice but to find a way to succeed without Billy Edwards Jr. for the time being. On Saturday, Wisconsin will square off against Middle Tennessee State at 4 p.m. ET. The game will air live on FS1.