One of the most highly anticipated position battles for Wisconsin football this fall hasn't disappointed.
The race for the backup quarterback spot - a critical role in Madison if you've even remotely followed Badgers football in recent seasons - has been neck-and-neck between true freshman Ryan Hopkins and Louisville transfer Deuce Adams.
The gunslingers are splitting reps with the second-team offense right down the middle. To the naked eye, it's difficult to discern who, if anybody, has the lead.
Both players have put their top traits on display while also showing some warts. Hopkins' maturity, football IQ and arm talent have been evident, but he's also made a few poor decisions consistent with his inexperience at the college level.
Adams, meanwhile, is as cool, calm and collected as ever, like someone who's started a Power Four game. However, he doesn't quite command the huddle and the offense like Hopkins does.
Wisconsin QBs coach Kenny Guiton. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
Quarterbacks coach Kenny Guiton wouldn't reveal who's in the lead in this hotly contested battle.
"Na, I would say not right now," he said when asked if there's a frontrunner. "You go through the phase of spring ball, you get a chance to teach these guys...you can see that them two guys are really really honing in on the competition and taking it on."
Though Guiton remained coy about who's out in front right now, he praised both Hopkins and Adams heavily.
"He's a guy that can naturally go out there and lead on a consistent basis. You know what to expect out of him. He's not gonna come out and be two different guys one day and the next," he said of Hopkins. "Come in with the confidence, come in showing you love ball, and be able to lead the people around you. If you can do those things, you're here for a reason."
The coach unsurprisingly talked up Adams similarly.
"He's a guy who you can tell has played college ball. No moment gets too high for him, no moment he's gonna get too low on himself if there is a bad play. He's just a guy that kinda stays neutral," he said.
While Guiton was also complimentary of Adams, he did mention an area he'd like to see him grow.
"I'm really pushing him to kinda come out of that comfort zone at times and really lead more, but you can just tell nothing affects him. He goes out there, plays his game and when he keeps his game simple, you can just see that it's a natural game to him."
Wisconsin QB Deuce Adams. | Christian Borman.
Just like Guiton's comments, the play of Hopkins and Adams has been difficult to decipher; when taking each session into account, it's hard to tell if there's a frontrunner.
Hopkins' talent, moxie and early command of the offense is hard not to love, but so is Adams' experience and level-headed demeanor.
Ultimately, if the Badgers had to release their Week 1 depth chart tomorrow, I'd imagine Adams' name is at the QB2 spot, besting Hopkins by the skin of his teeth with an ever so slightly more consistent fall camp.
"It will be decided," Guiton assured. "I promise you we'll have enough film to know exactly which direction we wanna go."
This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/wisconsin as Kenny Guiton Updates Badgers' Backup Quarterback Battle Midway Through Fall Camp .
