Billy Edwards Jr. was far from the biggest quarterback name in the transfer portal. In fact, fellow Wisconsin incoming quarterback transfer Danny O'Neil is the higher rated recruit in Rivals' 2025 portal rankings. But upon his announcement that he was headed to Madison, he immediately became the odds-on favorite to win the starting gig and lead the Badgers' offense next fall.

Edwards doesn't have the production of a John Mateer (Oklahoma), or the pedigree of a Carson Beck (Miami), both of whom were big-time dominos in the winter portal quarterback market. Rather, he flew under the radar for a litany of understandable reasons.

First and foremost, Maryland went a lousy 4-8 in 2024, its worst record since head coach Mike Locksley's debut season in 2019. Whether or not you believe wins are a quarterback stat, they certainly directly correlate to the attention said quarterback receives.

What's more, last fall was Edwards' lone season as a starter and while his numbers — 2,881 passing yards, 20 total touchdowns, nine interceptions, 65 percent completion — are respectable, they don't elicit the same reaction as the gaudy numbers that, say, Tanner Mordecai brought with him to Madison two years ago.

Still, there's a lot to like about the former Terrapin. For starters, he has the body of a pro style quarterback at 6-foot-3, 222 pounds. While not all of Braedyn Locke's issues could be attributed to shorter stature, many of the more salient ones (batted passes at the line of scrimmage) certainly could. And speaking of Locke, he managed to eclipse 250 yards passing just twice last fall. Edwards failed to hit 250 passing yards just twice in games he played in full.

With his body of work and readily apparent ability as a gunslinger, Edwards represents a clear upgrade at quarterback for the Badgers. His breakout campaign looks even more impressive when you consider the general incompetence of the four-win team he played for. But how will that translate to Wisconsin?

Below, BadgerBlitz.com dives into the film to break down the touchdowns that defined Edwards' 2024 season in College Park and what he could bring to Madison:

A veteran quarterback who's already spent four years in college, you would expect Edwards to have some moxie, a savviness to his game. Pop on the tape, and that's readily apparent. Edwards plays like the experienced gunslinger he is more often than not.

At this point in his collegiate career, Edwards has spent countless hours watching film and breaking down Big Ten defenses. He's seen a whole lot, and knows how to manipulate defensive backs in certain ways. Our first clip here is a little longer, because it's worth watching the replay:

Edwards' X receiver runs a stop-and-go on this play, selling the hitch route before spinning back into a fly pattern. Knowing the defensive back's eyes are still on him, Edwards helps his receiver create separation with a pump fake. Sure enough, the corner bites hard enough for the Terrapin receiver to gain a step or two, and that was all Edwards needed to drop it in the bucket.

You wouldn't characterize Edwards as a mobile quarterback, but he has some undeniable athleticism. That translates into more than just designed quarterback runs and scrambles; it also factors into Edwards' pocket navigation, a big part of his savviness.

Maryland's offensive line was highly suspect, as the Terps deployed the 115th-ranked rushing attack in the nation and surrendered 26 sacks. Thus, Edwards had to navigate chaos in the pocket quite often. Watch how in the following play against USC, he uses a more subtle pump fake, steps up into the pocket to avoid pressure and uncorks an absolute dime to his wideout in the back corner of the end zone.

Edwards doesn't just win with his mind and moxie — he can throw a gorgeous ball as well. The following play is a slot fade against Michigan State in which Edwards drops the football in the perfect cubic foot for receiver Tai Felton to run under it with just enough space in the back of the end zone.

Edwards threw it up to Felton, who reeled in 96 catches for 1,124 yards and nine scores, quite a bit last fall. He accounted for about 35 percent of the quarterback's completions in 2024. Still, this ball needed to be thrown perfectly, and Edwards did just that.

The following play is very similar. This time against an admittedly weaker foe in FCS Villanova, Edwards again puts the ball in a perfect place where only Felton can make the catch. This is actually pretty solid coverage by the corner here for Villanova, but like a good shot in basketball, a better throw by Edwards beats the good defense. The former Terp can put the football right where he wants it, especially if given a clean pocket.

The next play is just a good, old-fashioned go route. Indiana sends five rushers while trying to disguise its coverage, but Edwards sees the matchup he wants immediately: Kaden Prather in single coverage. The wideout gets a step on the Hoosiers' cornerback and Edwards puts the ball right on the money. The throw itself travels about 45 air yards, but more impressive is Edwards' ball placement. Watching a throw like that, it's easy to envision Vinny Anthony on the other end of a Edwards rainbow.

Toughness was one of the first things that new offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes mentioned about Edwards during his introductory press conference.

"I saw a guy that had toughness, was able to stand in there and take a lot of hits, and not impact how he played the game. Threw a lot of balls with a lot of people right in his face as he's letting it go. A lot of times, he couldn't even step up and throw the way that you would like to. But none of that impacted him," he said.

The quarterback absolutely displays toughness in the pocket, as Grimes alludes to. But more exciting for his prospects in Madison is the way Edwards displays toughness once outside the pocket, after he tucks the ball and becomes a runner.

When Tyler Van Dyke was lost for the 2024 season, with him went any hopes Wisconsin had of using its quarterback in the running game. Locke simply wasn't a threat with his legs; defenses didn't respect his ability to pull the football on zone reads and with his smaller stature and subpar athleticism, he posed no threat in the open field. That won't be the case with Edwards.

Above, Michigan State loses contain off the edge on the read option, tipping Edwards to pull the ball from his halfback's gut and gallop towards the end zone. A Spartan defensive back dives at his legs while he absorbs a hit from a pursing linebacker, but no matter. Edwards puts his body on the line and breaks the plane.

Locke simply didn't have the body type tuck the ball and run, let alone absorb that kind of contact. Edwards, on the other hand, isn't shy about taking blows. Perhaps no play exemplifies that better than the following quarterback draw right into the teeth of the Oregon defense.

Okay, so that wasn't technically a touchdown. But can you imagine the Badgers trying to run that play with Locke? Even if that exact call isn't on Grimes' play-sheet, the possibility alone can open up an offense. Last season, defenses could be almost 100 percent certain that not a single designed run was going to be called for Locke, and his scrambling ability didn't keep anyone up at night. Edwards not only has mobility and size, but the toughness to absorb contact and take hits as a ball-carrier in the open field.

Sure, Edwards has nice touch on deep balls. Locke had that too; in fact, it was one of the few things he did have in 2024. But the gunslinger is more than just a go-ball merchant. Edwards displays accuracy throwing to all levels of the field, and with his bigger frame, he generates enough power to really put some zip on passes over the middle of the field.

Again, this play comes against a weak opponent in UConn. But watch how Edwards fires this pass over the middle with authority, putting some heat on the throw while still layering the ball between two defenders. That's a high level throw against any opponent.

Those kinds of throws were missing from the Badgers' offense last year. Wisconsin obviously struggled to throw the ball in general, but it was particularly inept on throws over the middle. Per Pro Football Focus, Locke completed just 53 percent of his passes with three touchdowns and five interceptions on throws between the numbers 10 or more yards downfield. Another area in which Edwards represents a tangible upgrade. Below is another great example:

Not pressured in the slightest, Edwards had all day to make this throw. But this play was far from routine; look how small of a window the signal-caller fits this football into on a rope over the middle from about 20 yards out.

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