MADISON, Wis. — There were 34 days between Wisconsin’s football season ending with a loss to Minnesota and the transfer portal window opening Friday. Thirty-four days for the staff, without the demand of game preparations, to fully assess position needs and determine how to reshape the future of the program following another disappointing campaign.

Abundantly clear to everyone was the importance of finding a starting quarterback capable of creating necessary change on offense for next season. Equally important was accomplishing that feat quickly to help jumpstart Wisconsin’s portal cycle and build momentum for other players to join him.

Wisconsin adeptly executed its plan by signing former Old Dominion quarterback Colton Joseph, who visited campus with his family over the weekend. Joseph, the Sun Belt offensive player of the year, was a sought-after transfer portal quarterback and has two years of eligibility remaining.

“The coaching staff seems super enthusiastic about everything, and they really want to win,” Joseph told Badger Connect. “It had one of the biggest opportunities for me to come in and try to turn a program around. I just want to get in there and be able to write my own story, write a new story about what I can do as a player and what I can do to help a team win.”

Joseph initially announced his intention to enter the transfer portal on December 9. His father, David, said the family began considering roughly 20 schools before narrowing down the list to five candidates and then a top three that included Florida State and TCU.

But Joseph never visited those two programs. Wisconsin’s coaches, which included head coach Luke Fickell, offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes and quarterbacks coach Kenny Guiton, were able to sell a vision for why Joseph was the Badgers’ top quarterback target and how he could be utilized in Grimes’ system. Wisconsin also presented a compensation package that increased its starting quarterback investment over the previous year. Joseph and Wisconsin reached a two-year agreement.

“We really loved coach Fickell and Grimes and Guiton,” David said. “We really think Colton can be the player that comes in there and just creates a dynamic offense that fits his dual-threat passing and running game and be the spark to really take that offense and team to the next level.”

The 6-foot-2, 200-pound Joseph was not a highly recruited quarterback at Newport Harbor High School in California, in large part because he suffered a back sprain in his junior season that prevented him from playing during a critical recruiting year. He threw for 4,150 yards and a school-record 41 touchdowns as a senior and picked Old Dominion over opportunities from Air Force, Army and Navy, among others.

Following a redshirt season, he took over as Old Dominion’s starter early in 2024 and never looked back. Joseph amassed 5,905 yards of total offense and 56 touchdowns in two seasons. He steadily improved the team, with Old Dominion elevating from 5-7 in 2024 to 9-3 during the regular season in 2025 — the program’s first nine-win season since 2016.

Joseph completed 59.7 percent of his passes (173 of 290) last season for 2,624 yards with 21 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. He added 1,007 yards rushing and 13 more scores, showcasing his dynamic athleticism in the season opener against unbeaten Indiana when he ran for 179 yards and two touchdowns, though he also tossed three interceptions. Joseph ranked eighth nationally in total offense at 302.6 yards per game. He ranked tied for seventh in rushing plays of at least 10 yards (37) and tied for fourth in rushing plays of at least 20 yards (16).

“He’s a playmaker,” David said. “He’s just electric. He’s going to make several off-script plays that make the difference in the game. He’s very consistent, both passing and running. So having that ability to do both, which is rare, puts that defense in a very awkward spot. They have to play the run and play for his pass, and that opens up the game, not only for him but the rest of the offense.”

Joseph comes from a family of athletes. His father played football at Division II Central Missouri and starred in the Kansas City area as a safety for Raytown South, where he still holds the single-season record for interceptions. His older sister, Lindsey, played lacrosse, while his older brother, Drayton, won the Los Angeles Open Golf Tournament in 2023 and golfed at Washington State. David coached both his sons during youth football, where he first began to see Colton’s combination of athleticism and calmness under pressure.

Joseph was rated by both 247Sports and On3 as the No. 17 quarterback available in the transfer portal. His addition represents the most major domino to fall during this portal cycle for Wisconsin. The expectation is that the increased investment in players through above-the-cap spending that athletic director Chris McIntosh stressed in recent months will be seen at every position group. Wisconsin already has added running back Abu Sama III (Iowa State) and tight ends Jacob Harris (Bowling Green) and Ryan Schwendeman (Southern Illinois) from the portal to surround Joseph, with several more offensive players expected in the coming days.

“Most kids, especially on offense, are looking to see who their quarterback is before they sign,” Joseph said. “It’ll definitely help attract more players rather than players not knowing who the guy is going to be. I think it’s helpful to sign early and be able to help with that process.”

QB Colton Joseph ranked second nationally this season in passing yards per completion at 15.2. (Photo courtesy of Steven Goldburg/Old Dominion)

The hope is that the influx of portal players will help to elevate Wisconsin in ways that have been missing. Wisconsin finished last season 4-8 during a disjointed year that required the services of four different starting quarterbacks. Billy Edwards Jr., last year’s top quarterback portal addition for the Badgers, suffered a grade 3 PCL sprain in his left knee during the season opener and was limited to 34 snaps in two games.

Wisconsin ranked 135th out of 136 FBS teams in scoring offense at 12.8 points per game, the worst program mark since 1990. The Badgers also were 135th nationally in total offense, 132nd in passing offense and 116th in rushing offense.

Both David and his son acknowledged those offensive struggles were an initial concern when evaluating the Badgers as a potential landing spot. But David said in-depth discussions with the staff “made all the difference in the world” because it provided explanations about injury issues last season, who Wisconsin could bring in through the portal this offseason to help Joseph and how his style of play fit what Grimes wanted in a quarterback.

“It was a little uneasy at first,” Joseph said. “But after talking with them, I realized they were missing a couple pieces last year and it could be different with me the way coach (Curt) Cignetti and Fernando Mendoza came into Indiana and built that team up from virtually nothing to what they are now. So I think it would be great to have an immediate impact and help bring a team to victory.”

Joseph cited Grimes’ history of quarterback development, specifically Zach Wilson at BYU in 2020, among his reasons for picking Wisconsin. Wilson became the second overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft.

“I like the pro-style aspect of it because that’s what’s ultimately going to prepare me to go to the NFL,” Joseph said. “That’s my dream. This offense from what I’ve seen it do in the past, I think it’s proven in college to be a really good offense when we have all the pieces. I believe that under him and coach Guiton and coach Fickell, it’s going to help develop me into a well-rounded quarterback with being able to do all things.”

Joseph will be the fourth consecutive transfer portal quarterback brought in to start under Fickell. The previous three — Tanner Mordecai, Tyler Van Dyke and Edwards Jr. — all sustained injuries and missed a combined 22 starts. Wisconsin is optimistic that, if Joseph can remain healthy and continue on his upward trajectory, it could spark the turnaround the Badgers have been seeking.

“They think they can use my skill set and develop what I’ve done well and help what I’ve done bad to become a top-tier player,” Joseph said. “The ultimate final step is to make it to the playoffs and win a national championship, win a Big Ten championship. That’s the goal and that’s what we’re excited to practice and play for.”

(Top photo of Colton Joseph courtesy of Ryan Harvey/Old Dominion)