Ranking Wisconsin Football's Top Quarterbacks of the Modern Era
Who are the greatest Wisconsin football quarterbacks of the past 50 years? See my rankings of the top signal-callers.
Welcome to The Badger Backer's Top Players of the Modern Era series! In this series, we're taking a casual, yet in-depth, look back at the incredible talent that has graced Wisconsin football over the past five decades, truly defining what we consider the modern era. It's always tough to narrow down the pool of outstanding athletes, but we're here to celebrate the legends and spark some friendly debate.
When you think about Wisconsin football, you don’t necessarily think of astounding quarterback play. However, one could argue that the quarterback position was often overlooked in the past 50 years due to the excellent running back talent that came through the program.
There weren’t any first-round picks or Heisman Trophy winners for the Badgers at quarterback, but there were still some very good players to line up under center for Wisconsin over the past half-century.
Today, we're diving into the quarterback room to crown the top performers of this impactful period. Let's get started!
Honorable Mention
Randy Wright (1981-1983)
Record as a Starter: 13-11-1
Career Passing Yards: 4,771
Career Touchdowns: 34
Career Interceptions: 32
Alex Hornibrook (2016-2018)
Record as a Starter: 26-8
Career Passing Yards: 5,468
Career Touchdowns: 47
Career Interceptions: 33
Graham Mertz (2020-2022)
Record as a Starter: 19-13
Career Passing Yards: 5,405
Career Touchdowns: 38
Career Interceptions: 26
Brooks Bollinger (1999-2002)
Record as a Starter: 21-12
Career Passing Yards: 4,458
Career Touchdowns: 34
Career Interceptions: 23
Top 5 Quarterbacks of the Modern Era
No. 5: Scott Tolzien (2009-2010)
Seasons as Starter: 2
Record as a Starter: 21-5
Career Passing Yards: 5,476
Career Touchdowns: 31
Career Interceptions: 18
I would argue Scott Tolzien is the most underrated quarterback for the Badgers in the last 20 years. His numbers didn’t pop off the page, and he didn’t make a ton of throws that made you jump out of your seat, but in the run-heavy Wisconsin offense, you need an efficient quarterback who will take care of the ball, and that was Scott Tolzien.
As the starter, Tolzien led the Badgers to a 21-5 record in two seasons, which included the Badgers’ first Rose Bowl berth since the 1998 season. He was the quarterback under center in the iconic victory over No. 1 Ohio State in 2010, a game in which he completed 13-of-16 passes for 152 yards.
No. 4: Joel Stave (2012-2015)
Seasons as Starter: 4
Record as a Starter: 31-13 (most wins in Wisconsin football history)
Career Passing Yards: 7,633
Career Touchdowns: 48
Career Interceptions: 37
The guy who had to fill the shoes of Russell Wilson ended up having one of the most successful careers a Wisconsin quarterback has ever had. Joel Stave, who faced quite a bit of criticism as the starting quarterback for the Badgers, helped lead the Badgers to a 31-13 record while he was the starter.
Stave played a part in the team’s third-straight Rose Bowl game and bowl berths the next three seasons. The Badgers went 2-2 in bowl games during his time as the starting quarterback, including wins over Auburn (Outback Bowl) and USC (Holiday Bowl) in his final two seasons.
While he threw just 48 touchdowns in 44 career games, he left the program second in career passing yards, fifth in passing touchdowns, and first in all-time wins at quarterback. That’s why I have him at No. 4.
No. 3: John Stocco (2004-2006)
Seasons as Starter: 3
Record as a Starter: 29-7
Career Passing Yards: 7,227
Career Touchdowns: 45
Career Interceptions: 16
After taking over for Jim Sorgi in 2004, Stocco got off to a hot start, leading the Badgers to a 9-0 record as a sophomore, helping Wisconsin climb to as high as No. 4 in the rankings.
Stocco led the Badgers to a bowl game all three years as a starter, including a win in Barry Alvarez’s final game as the head coach in a 24-10 victory over Auburn in the Capital One Bowl in the 2005 season.
He was a steady presence for the Badgers as the program transitioned from Barry Alvarez to Bret Bielema in 2006. Stocco led Wisconsin to a 12-1 record and a Capital One Bowl victory over Arkansas in Bielema’s first season.
He is currently third in all-time passing yards in Wisconsin football history and held the single-season passing yards record (2,920 yards) until Russell Wilson broke it in 2011. He is tied with Alex Hornibrook for the third-most career touchdown passes in program history.
He isn’t consistently mentioned as a top quarterback in the Wisconsin football program, but I think he is extremely underrated.
No. 2: Darrell Bevell (1992-1995)
Seasons as Starter: 4
Record as a Starter: 29-17-2
Career Passing Yards: 7,686 (Wisconsin career record)
Career Touchdowns: 59 (Wisconsin career record)
Career Interceptions: 42
Darrell Bevell was a foundational piece to the team that turned the Wisconsin football program around in the early 90s. He entered the program with Barry Alvarez and helped lead Wisconsin to its first Rose Bowl in 31 years.
He is the program career leader in touchdown passes (59), 10 more than anyone else in program history, and career passing yards (7,686). He also holds the records for most passing yards (423) and passing touchdowns in a single game (5 - tied with Graham Mertz and Jim Sorgi).
With offenses in the mid-90s being extremely run-heavy — Wisconsin included, it’s even more impressive to see the numbers Bevell put up in his time as the Badgers’ starting quarterback. He is a big reason why Wisconsin football was able to turn things around and become a successful program to this day.
No. 1: Russell Wilson (2011)
Seasons as Starter: 1
Record as a Starter: 11-3
Career Passing Yards: 3,175
Career Touchdowns: 33
Career Interceptions: 4
Even though Russell Wilson was only a member of the Wisconsin football program for one season, I think we can all agree it was the single-most impressive season anyone has seen from a Badger quarterback.
In 2011, Wilson broke Wisconsin’s single-season records for passing yards (3,175), passing touchdowns (33), and was 0.1% behind Scott Tolzien for completing percentage in a season (72.8%). All while throwing just four interceptions and running for 338 yards and six touchdowns. If he were the quarterback for Wisconsin another season, he would have likely broken a few career records.
Wilson had the Badgers on the verge of national championship contention and likely would have made it if not for two Hail Mary plays by Michigan State and Ohio State in back-to-back weeks. The Badgers would go on to beat the Spartans in a rematch in the Big Ten Championship Game, where Wilson and the Badgers would get their revenge and earn a trip to the Rose Bowl.
Wilson showed that a Wisconsin quarterback could be more than just a field general who hands the ball off to a running back. Playmakers could thrive in that system, too.
It was just one season, but Wisconsin fans cherish it because we may never see another one like it.
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