2026 Player Projections: Colton Joseph’s Ceiling and Floor in Jeff Grimes’ Offense
Mapping out the 2026 expectations for the most electric Badgers quarterback since Russell Wilson.
The Luke Fickell era for the Wisconsin football program has featured a desperate search for dynamic, game-changing quarterback play. Enter Colton Joseph. The redshirt junior transfer from Old Dominion didn’t just put up numbers in the Sun Belt last year—he completely dominated it en route to conference Offensive Player of the Year honors.
With 2,624 passing yards and 1,007 rushing yards under his belt from 2025, Joseph represents the most explosive dual-threat quarterback to step foot in Camp Randall since Russell Wilson. But moving from the Sun Belt to the grueling trenches of the Big Ten is a massive leap.
With offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes entering his second year leading the offense, he finally has the mobile, off-script weapon he needs to fully execute his wide-zone and deep play-action concepts.
The Best-Case Scenario: The Statistical Ceiling
In this scenario, Jeff Grimes unlocks Colton Joseph the same way he unlocked Zach Wilson at BYU. Supported by a lethal running game featuring Abu Sama III and an improved offensive line, Joseph doesn’t have to carry the entire team on his back. Instead, he becomes a highly efficient point guard who decimates defenses when he pulls the ball down.
