Wisconsin Badgers true freshman Ryan Hopkins shone in his first start, throwing for 241 yards and three touchdowns in the team’s 31-10 win over the Rutgers Scarlet Knights.
That caught the eyes of Badgers fans, who were impressed by the freshman and began to ask why Hopkins hadn’t been playing even earlier in the season. Well, the performance also caught the eye of the Big Ten, as Hopkins was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Week on Monday.
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Here’s what the Big Ten said in their statement on Monday about Hopkins’s selection.
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The true freshman quarterback made his first career start on Saturday in Wisconsin’s 31-10 win vs. Rutgers
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Recorded 241 yards and three scores on 18-of-24 passing, with his 241 passing yards tying for the third most for a Badger freshman in their debut since 1990
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Hopkins’ three passing touchdowns were the most by any freshman in the nation this week and his 200.6 passer rating led all FBS freshmen in week 10 action
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Threw scores of 66, 21 and 11 yards, all to different Badger receivers, with eight different Badgers catching passes in the win
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Last Wisconsin Freshman of the Week: Mason Posa (Nov. 10, 2025)
UCLA quarterback Ty Dieffenbach won Offensive Player of the Week, Michigan State cornerback NihJay Burt won Defensive Player of the Week, and Michigan State kicker Liam Boyd won Special Teams Player of the Week.
Hopkins is the third Badger to win a weekly award this week. Colton Joseph was the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week back in Week 5 during the team’s win over Michigan State, and Sebastian Cheeks won Defensive Player of the Week two weeks ago.
He’s set to start the rest of the way for the Badgers and will look to build on his performance this weekend against the Maryland Terrapins.
