Wisconsin will have another new face in its quarterbacks room in 2025, as Maryland transfer signal-caller Billy Edwards Jr. has committed to the Badgers.
Edwards officially entered the transfer portal on Friday, Dec. 13. He took a visit to Madison over the weekend of Dec. 14.
Notably, Wisconsin quarterback Tyler Van Dyke — who played in just three games for the Badgers in 2024 due to injury — entered the transfer portal on Dec. 9.
Previously, Michigan was considered the favorite to land Edwards. He was expected to visit Ann Arbor on Monday, Dec. 16, but he did not make the trip, and committed to the Badgers instead.
After flipping him from LSU, Michigan recently signed class of 2025 five-star quarterback Bryce Underwood — the No. 2 overall prospect in the country in the cycle. While Underwood is U-M's quarterback of the future, it appears Michigan is looking to add a veteran to the mix to challenge him. The Wolverines will need to find another option outside of Edwards, however.
Edwards just finished his redshirt junior season with Maryland in 2024 and was with head coach Mike Locksley and the Terrapins from 2022 through 2024. Of note, FootballScoop.com recently reported that Maryland is expected to part ways with offensive coordinator/wide receivers coach Josh Gattis, however, no announcement has been made in that regard.
He started his career at Wake Forest in 2021 and redshirted that year.
Edwards will now play his final season of collegiate eligibility under head coach Luke Fickell, newly-hired offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes and the rest of the Wisconsin staff.
After the departure of longtime starter Taulia Tagovailoa, Edwards took over as the staring quarterback for Maryland in 2024.
He ranks third in the Big Ten in passing yards per game (261.9) and second in completions (273) this season. Overall, Edwards completed the aforementioned 273 passes on 420 attempts (65%) for 2,881 yards, 15 touchdowns and nine interceptions. He added 150 rushing yards and five touchdowns on the ground.
According to Pro Football Focus, Edwards made 11 starts for the Terrapins in 2024, and played 744 offensive snaps. He was the highest-graded offensive players for Maryland this season with a grade of 79.6.
In 26 career games with the Terps, Edwards completed 311 out of 496 passing attempts (63%) for 3,317 yards, 19 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. He also ran for 377 yards and 13 scores.
Edwards was a three-star pro-style quarterback prospect out of Lake Braddock High School in Virginia in the class of 2021. He committed to Wake Forest and signed with Demon Deacons in December of 2020 after previously being committed to Old Dominion.
Stay locked in on the Rivals Transfer Tracker to keep up with the latest transfer news, portal entries, commitments, and rankings. For a deep-dive into the transfer portal, make sure you visit the Rivals Transfer Search page.
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The winter college football transfer portal window is scheduled to open on Dec. 9, 2024 for 20 days. Additionally, players have a 30-day window to transfer when their head coach leaves. There is also a five-day window for players to transfer after their team has finished postseason play. A 10-day transfer window will open on April 16 as well.
