MADISON, Wis. – Danny O’Neil was thankful that one of the first phone calls he received checked all the boxes he was looking for.
The former San Diego State quarterback had a few goals in mind when he entered the portal. Moving closer to his family in Indianapolis to make it easier to watch him compete was a priority. Another was finding a program committed to developing him into a high-level quarterback.
O’Neil believes he’s found that with the University of Wisconsin.
“While we were up there, it felt right,” O’Neil told BadgerBlitz.com. “There were a lot of things my family liked and a lot of good things going on up there. I’m excited for the future there.”
O’Neil is the fifth known transfer to join Wisconsin this month, filling a significant area of need at a position that has been thinned. The Badgers have seen three scholarship quarterbacks leave the program – including 2024 starters Braedyn Locke and Tyler Van Dyke – since UW’s season ended with a losing record and no bowl appearance for the first time in 23 years.
That didn’t bother O’Neil, who was talking to multiple schools after entering the portal but said none moved as fast as Wisconsin. A large reason for that is Wisconsin Director of Player Personnel Max Stienecker. Having been with head coach Luke Fickell at Cincinnati, Stienecker was part of the team that aggressively recruited O’Neil out of Indianapolis Cathedral High School.
The initial phone call with Steinecker led to the phone being passed to Fickell and then to offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes.
“I was on the phone with them for quite a while,” said O’Neil, who took an official visit to campus last weekend. “They mentioned they I had a place to come to play quarterback. I was very excited about that.”
A lot of that excitement for O’Neil comes after meeting Grimes. Having been an offensive coordinator at BYU, Baylor, and Kansas before being hired by Fickell on December 10, Grimes was a finalist for the Frank Broyles Award as the nation's top assistant coach at Baylor in 2021 and at BYU in 2020.
Although he has a background as an offensive line and tight end position coach, Grimes is bringing an “NFL-style offense” to Wisconsin. O’Neil compared aspects of his offense to what the Miami Dolphins and San Francisco 49ers run, franchises that were the top two in total yards and second and third in scoring last season, respectively.
“He went through everything pretty quickly, all the bits and pieces of his offense, all his favorite schemes, runs, and play-action passes off of them,” O’Neil said of Grimes. “The way the offense builds off of itself is something that could be very difficult for defenses to adjust to. They see one thing and he can make it look exactly the same and run three plays off of it. It builds off itself. I’m definitely looking forward to getting into the room, diving in, and learning the offense.”
O'Neil was the first true freshman starting quarterback for the Aztecs in the program's history. Starting the season with 127 consecutive pass attempts without an interception, O’Neil threw for 2,181 yards, 12 touchdowns, and six interceptions under head coach, and former Badgers tight end Sean Lewis.
“(Grimes) was very impressed with my film, doing what I did as a true freshman,” said O’Neil, who had over 7,750 career passing yards with 98 touchdowns and 1,326 rushing yards and 27 scores in high school. “He thinks that my accuracy and the way that I was asked to do a lot of things at SDSU can check us into the right plays and make the offense as QB friendly as possible.
“I was always confident in my abilities and proved what I could do. It was a very successful season in the record book, and that’s the biggest thing I care about at the end of the day. I didn’t do good enough for the team to get in the win column enough, but I learned a lot about myself. I learned how hard it is to win, but there’s always going to be a chance if you’re a fighter. I am a fighter. I am going to do everything I can to bring the team a win.”
While many portal players are looking for a place with a clear pathway to a starting spot, O’Neil said the Badgers were upfront about the plan to take two quarterbacks. UW is expected to sign Maryland senior Billy Edwards Jr., who was on campus at the same time as O’Neil.
Having three years of eligibility remaining, O’Neil is not concerned if asked to move into a reserve role.
“The coaches said they have a plan for the quarterback room and an individualized plan for me,” he said. “They told me that I’ll be able to compete right away and that was a big thing for me. Also having my redshirt year to fall back upon in case the older guy they bring in does get the job. They have a full plan for what the future of the program was going to look like, so that was very appealing to me and my family.
“I’m excited to go in and compete as hard as I can to try and win the job. If not, I know I’m in a spot where I am going to be developed the right way.”
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