Ryan Hopkins lead the Wisconsin Badgers to a 31-10 victory over Rutgers in Madison on Saturday in his first collegiate start. Hopkins completed 18-of-24 passes for 241 yards and three touchdowns in the win.

This was the type of performance Wisconsin fans had been waiting for from a Badgers quarterback. While the win was over lowly Rutgers, Wisconsin still had to go out and execute. Hopkins did that in several ways.

After just one good game against Rutgers, Badgers fans are wondering what more Hopkins can do for the team over the rest of the season.

The freshman had a solid high school career, and the coaching staff hoped that some of that would carry over to the field. He was a consensus three-star recruit who played at Mater Dei High School in California, where he competed against some of the best high school teams in the country.

As a senior at Mater Dei in 2025, Hopkins accounted for 2,410 total yards and 19 touchdowns.

Of course, those numbers don't guarantee success in the Big Ten. But at Mater Dei, Hopkins was able to compete against — and play with (i.e. five-star wide receiver Chris Henry Jr, now an Ohio State Buckeye) — some of the best players in the country as a senior.

The Rutgers Performance Showed What Hopkins Can Bring to Wisconsin

Rutgers is arguably the worst team in the Big Ten. That will be the first thing said when discussing the freshman quarterback's debut. However, the Rutgers game shouldn't be completely written off, because Wisconsin has had its share of struggles offensively this season. Against Rutgers, those largely disappeared.

Hopkins' first start for the Badgers was certainly very solid. The freshman completed 75% of his passes for 241 yards and three touchdowns while completing passes to eight different receivers. His longest touchdown of the day was a 66-yard pass to Jacob Harris in the fourth quarter.

The young quarterback had a good game against Rutgers, but he will face better defenses in the near future. There is still a lot to prove, but this was a good start for true freshman.

The Badgers are now bowl eligible after missing the postseason in 2025, but more importantly, Hopkins' performance also gave the Badgers something they had been missing from their passing attack.

The Wisconsin freshman was named Big Ten Freshman of the Week on Monday following Wisconsin's 31-10 victory over Rutgers on Saturday. His 241 passing yards were the third-most by a Wisconsin freshman quarterback in his debut since 1990.

Wisconsin Should Give Hopkins Every Opportunity to Build on His Debut

How does the freshman quarterback progress from here?

Hopkins has three more regular season games remaining, giving the coaching staff more film to review. Opponents will study his tendencies and mistakes as he faces better competition than Rutgers.

That doesn't mean his performance against Rutgers should be dismissed because of the opponent.

While Hopkins' first start was impressive, there is still plenty for the freshman to prove. Wisconsin will need to see how the young quarterback responds to adversity.

But his debut gave Wisconsin fans something they haven't had much of at quarterback lately.

A reason to be optimistic.