The Athletic ranks Billy Edwards Jr. neck-and-neck with Big Ten QBs at USC, Michigan among others

Their writers ranked him as the No. 56 quarterback in the country, which put him just behind Jayden Maiava from USC (54) and Bryce Underwood at Michigan (50).

Maryland struggled last year, but Edwards was adequate as a first-time starter. He attempted 40 or more passes in six games, and the Terrapins’ run game was one of the worst in the country. Jeff Grimes has taken over as the offensive coordinator at Wisconsin. The goal should be to re-establish the Badgers' identity as a run-first outfit and lessen the load for Edwards. Regardless, he’ll be an upgrade at QB in Madison.The Athletic

The ranking put Edwards in the fourth tier of quarterbacks, which they categorized as "some are young, unproven starters with high potential; others are veterans who have flashed great talent but hit performance or injury speed bumps somewhere along the way."

That tier includes eight other Big Ten quarterbacks, including the projected starters for Ohio State, Iowa and Nebraska.

Only five QBs in the conference reached higher tiers, headlined by Penn State's Drew Allar in Tier 1 as the sixth-ranked quarterback overall.

Edwards is right at the same level as many of his peers and four of the starters he'll face on the Badgers' Big Ten schedule, in addition to two teams (Maryland and Minnesota) with quarterbacks in the tiers below him.

If he can perform at a similar level to the other Big Ten quarterbacks, he should have Wisconsin's offense in a good place this season.

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