Colton Joseph packed up and started over at Wisconsin, and the new tape already reads 2,619 pass YDS, 2,500-yd club.
6′2″ · 212 lb · Newport Beach, CA · Newport Harbor
CFB Index
A single number blending on-field production (an EPA-based value lane) with box-score output for this player's position.
0-100, scaled within each position's own cohort — not directly comparable across positions.
The numbers
passing yards · 2026 · through week 3
3 games into 2026 so far -- Backed by 20 car · 189 yds · 1 TD -- top 1% rushing yards game. -- Best game: 362 pass yds, 3 TD, 1 INT, vs Eastern Michigan
The play that turned itSwung Old Dominion from 17% to 50% to win.Marshall at Old Dominion · 42-35
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
Junior quarterback for Wisconsin. 2026: 3 games with a box-score line.
Aura™ · Him Watch
-27aura tax
93rd pctl our passing-value metric (wEPA) QBs · 160 qualified, n=96
— the tape outruns the hype.Buzz vs Tape
His own fans read him warmer than the wider college football conversation does — a gap of 24.7 points in belief.
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Also worth knowing:
“Colton Joseph scares me a PSU fan. Watching how the PSU edges struggled with Jaxon smolik at QB running for temple makes me worry about what Joseph can do”
Colton Joseph
Colton Joseph arrives at Wisconsin with a new fit to prove and an old chapter behind him.
PASS YDS · 2,500-YD CLUB
2,619
2619 passing yards — clears the 2,500-QB volume bar.
AI-generated narrative · may contain errors · not journalism · updated 2026-09-22
His career
He was winning awards before he was old enough to be a story.
Career arc
Trophy case · Confirmed honors
What the selectors said
ALL-SUN BELT · 2ND TEAM
All-Sun Belt 2nd team (2025)
Badges
Coaching lineage · 2024–2026
1 coachPlayed his entire career under Luke Fickell.
Where He Ended Up · Transfer
Transferred to Wisconsin
| Season | Team | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Wisconsin | 54 | 85 | 63.5% | 752 | 8.8 | 5 | 2 | 152.6 | 61 | -- | -- |
| 2025 | Old Dominion | 173 | 288 | 60.1% | 2,619 | 9.1 | 21 | 10 | 153.6 | 75 | -- | -- |
| 2024 | Old Dominion | 133 | 222 | 59.9% | 1,623 | 7.3 | 11 | 5 | 133.2 | 50 | -- | -- |
| Career | 360 | 595 | 60.5% | 4,994 | 8.4 | 37 | 17 | 145.8 | 63 | -- | -- |
| Season | Team | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Wisconsin | 25 | 82 | 3.3 | 1 | -- |
| 2025 | Old Dominion | 157 | 1,011 | 6.4 | 13 | -- |
| 2024 | Old Dominion | 114 | 647 | 5.7 | 11 | -- |
| Career | 296 | 1,740 | 5.9 | 25 | -- |
Game by game
Point color shows the opponent's defensive strength that week (red = weaker defense, blue = stronger) — dashed line is this player's own season average.
Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 3 games
| Wk | Opp | CMP/ATT | YDS | TD | INT | YPA | QBR | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | L 13-41@ Notre Dame | 19/30 | 217 | 1 | 1 | 7.2 | 81.8 | |
| Wk 2 | W 36-9vs Western Illinois | 12/22 | 173 | 1 | 0 | 7.9 | 28.6 | |
| Wk 3 | W 54-10vs Eastern Michigan | 23/33 | 362 | 3 | 1 | 11.0 | 73.1 | Season-high 362 yds |
| Total | 54/85 | 752 | 5 | 2 | 8.7 | 61.2 |
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 2 · 2026
W 36–9
173 yds · 1 TD · 0 INT · QBR 28.6 · 33 rush yds (4 car)
Dominant 27-point win at home against Western Illinois.
With T. Henry — 2 rush yds (1 car) · A. Sama III — 107 rush yds (8 car) · 1 TD
Signature plays · top plays by |EPA|
The plays that mattered most
Since week 2: +362 passing yards, +3 passing TD, +1 interception.
Season context · Team result + system
Where this profile ranks vs the QB cohort
Box-score + play-by-play EPA percentiles
Elite: success rate (87th percentile). Strength: sack rate (83rd percentile).
Real play-by-play efficiency
Season trend
Percentiles versus same-position peers with enough snaps this season. Most bars are box-score rates; EPA / success-rate bars are computed from real play-by-play (offense only — no defensive EPA model exists yet).
Pass Profile · True throw depth (charted plays)
Adjusted ANY/A, sack rate, and where the yards came from
Adjusted ANY/A
8.6243 of 126 QBsSack rate
2.3%24 of 126 QBsRarely sacked (24 of 126 QBs) and still 43 of 126 in Adjusted ANY/A.
Adjusted ANY/A uses full-season box-score totals (attempts, yards, TDs, INTs); sack rate is play-by-play-derived.
Behind LOS · Negative air yds
Short · 0–9 air yds
Middle · 10–19 air yds
Deep · 20+ air yds
Overall 63.5% completion on 85 attempts · 50% completion on 10 deep attempts (20+ air yds).
Zeitgeist Passer Rating
2026 · our own passing-efficiency number, shown next to the 1979 formula it does not replace.
Thin sample: 66 dropbacks61Zeitgeist Passer Ratingnot ranked until 125 dropbacks
--NCAA passer ratingno box-score line yet
Positive-play rate weight 24%
51.1%87th pct of FBS QBsshare of dropbacks that gained expected points · -3.5% schedule adj.Yards per attempt weight 56%
7.5068th pct of FBS QBssacks excluded · -0.9 schedule adj.Sack rate weight 21% (penalty)
0.5%99th pct of FBS QBsthe input passer rating cannot see · +0.5% schedule adj.Opponent-adjusted; garbage time excluded (20 of 86 dropbacks dropped). 50 = FBS average; the number is pulled toward 50 when the sample is thin. Scaled against the 2025 FBS population until enough 2026 QBs qualify. How ZPR is built.
Splits · Per-game
2026 season · 3 games
Home vs Road
| YDS/g | TD/g | YPA | INT/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home2g | 268 | 2.0 | 9.4 | 0.5 |
| Road1g | 217 | 1.0 | 7.2 | 1.0 |
First half vs Second half
| YDS/g | TD/g | YPA | INT/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-73g | 251 | 1.7 | 8.7 | 0.7 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Luke Fickell
Pass share
48.0%
85 pass / 92 run
Plays / game
59.0
3 games
Scheme: Balanced, slow tempo.
Player standing · 2026
On the two-deep and pushing for snaps.
Play style
Pushes it downfield on every look.
CFB Index positional classification
Returning starter at quarterback for a 4-8 Wisconsin team that went +8 in the portal. The No. 1,915 recruit in the country is starting at quarterback in the Big Ten as a junior.
Player DNA
Elite arm talent, pushing downfield. Completion rate is the variable.
His 2026 production profile sits closest to Blake Decker’s 2015 season.
Matches Blake on
Differs from Blake on
Through 3 college seasons, his career arc tracks closest to Brock Domann’s path through Louisville.
Matches Brock on
As a junior, his production profile tracks closest to Tyler Johnston III's junior season at UAB (2020).
Differs from Tyler on
Player DNA
Heisman Trajectory · 2026
Peaked at #65 this season.
Allow us to officially introduce QB1.@_ColtonJoseph1 x #OnWisconsin pic.twitter.com/669Zcnw3YE — Wisconsin Football (@BadgerFootball) January 5, 2026 Honors and Awards 2025: Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Year, All-Sun Belt Second Team, Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Week (Sept. 15), Davey…