Wisconsin’s best quarterbacks
Darrell Bevell has the most passing yards in Wisconsin history, 7,686 from 1992 to 1995. Since 2004, Joel Stave has the most, 7,635 in 44 games.
Wisconsin’s quarterbacks this season
- Colton Joseph8 games, 168.3 a game1,346passing yards
By decade: 2020s · 2010s · 2004–09
passing yards in Wisconsin history
- 1Darrell Bevell1992 – 19957,686
- 2Joel Stave2012 – 20157,635
- 3John Stocco2003 – 20067,227
- 4Brooks Bollinger1999 – 20025,627
- 5Alex Hornibrook2016 – 20185,438
- 6Graham Mertz2019 – 20225,405
- 7Scott Tolzien2008 – 20115,271
- 8Randy Wright1981 – 19835,003
- 9Mike Samuel1995 – 19984,989
- 10Jim Sorgi2000 – 20034,498
From Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0), through the 2025 season, which counts bowl games from 2002.
Compare with in · side by side
Every quarterback since 2004
| Place | Player | passing yards | passing touchdowns | wins |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Joel Stave2012 – 2015 · 44 games | 7,635 | 48 | 32 |
| 2 | John Stocco2004 – 2006 · 36 games | 7,104 | 47 | 29 |
| 3 | Alex Hornibrook2016 – 2018 · 35 games | 5,438 | 47 | 29 |
| 4 | Graham Mertz2019 – 2022 · 34 games | 5,405 | 38 | 21 |
| 5 | Scott Tolzien2008 – 2010 · 29 games | 5,271 | 32 | 23 |
| 6 | Jack Coan2017 – 2019 · 22 games | 3,278 | 23 | 16 |
| 7 | Tyler Donovan2004 – 2007 · 23 games | 3,227 | 22 | 17 |
| 8 | Russell Wilson2011 · 14 games | 3,175 | 33 | 11 |
| 9 | Braedyn Locke2023 – 2024 · 15 games | 2,713 | 18 | 5 |
| 10 | Tanner Mordecai2023 · 10 games | 2,065 | 9 | 6 |
| 11 | Bart Houston2013 – 2016 · 25 games | 1,540 | 9 | 23 |
| 12 | Dustin Sherer2006 – 2009 · 14 games | 1,389 | 6 | 10 |
| 13 | Colton Joseph2026 · still playing | 1,346 | 11 | 5 |
| +1,346 this season | ||||
| 14 | Allan Evridge2007 – 2008 · 13 games | 1,015 | 5 | 8 |
| 15 | Tanner McEvoy2013 – 2015 · 25 games | 709 | 5 | 20 |
| 16 | Hunter Simmons2025 · 8 games | 664 | 2 | 2 |
| 17 | Curt Phillips2009 – 2013 · 13 games | 642 | 5 | 8 |
| 18 | Danny O'Neil2025 · 6 games | 635 | 5 | 3 |
| 19 | Danny O'Brien2012 · 6 games | 523 | 3 | 3 |
| 20 | Tyler Van Dyke2024 · 3 games | 422 | 1 | 2 |
| 21 | Chase Wolf2019 – 2022 · 10 games | 292 | 3 | 8 |
| 22 | Carter Smith2025 · 4 games | 201 | 2 | 2 |
| 23 | Billy Edwards Jr.2025 · 2 games | 113 | 0 | 1 |
| 24 | Ryan Hopkins2026 · still playing | 93 | 0 | 2 |
| +93 this season | ||||
| 25 | Myles Burkett2022 · 2 games | 84 | 0 | 2 |
passing yards by decade
2020s
- Graham Mertz2020 – 2022 · 32 games5,332
- Braedyn Locke2023 – 2024 · 15 games2,713
- Tanner Mordecai2023 · 10 games2,065
- › Colton Joseph2026 · 8 games1,346
- Hunter Simmons2025 · 8 games664
2010s
- Joel Stave2012 – 2015 · 44 games7,635
- Alex Hornibrook2016 – 2018 · 35 games5,438
- Jack Coan2017 – 2019 · 22 games3,278
- Russell Wilson2011 · 14 games3,175
- Scott Tolzien2010 · 13 games2,459
2004–09
- John Stocco2004 – 2006 · 36 games7,104
- Tyler Donovan2004 – 2007 · 23 games3,227
- Scott Tolzien2008 – 2009 · 16 games2,812
- Dustin Sherer2006 – 2009 · 14 games1,389
- Allan Evridge2007 – 2008 · 13 games1,015
Also at Wisconsin: running backs · wide receivers · tight ends · defenders · kickers · punters · Wisconsin record book
Method
- Every quarterback who played at Wisconsin since 2004, ranked by passing yards over his games there. Bowl and playoff games count.
- The numbers here start in 2004, so a quarterback who played at Wisconsin before then isn't here.
- A decade counts his passing yards at Wisconsin in its seasons.
- The record book's numbers are the school's own. Where they and the box scores differ for one player, the box scores are missing a game or count bowls another way.
- A quarterback still playing at Wisconsin is counted at tonight's numbers against the record book's, which run through the 2025 season.