Luke Fickell and the Wisconsin Badgers are again hitting the transfer portal for a starting quarterback. After bringing in former SMU passer Tanner Mordecai last year as a red-shirt senior, the position once again popped up as a need for the Badgers. Now, Fickell hopes that he’s found his guy in former Miami Hurricanes passer Tyler Van Dyke.
Van Dyke announced his commitment to Wisconsin on Tuesday via social media after spending the past four seasons in Miami. Entering Madison as a grad transfer, Van Dyke brings three years of ACC starting experience for the Hurricanes.
It was a bit of a rocky tenure for the Glastonbury, Conn. native down in South Florida. He looked promising in 2021, winning the ACC Rookie of the Year after a 25-touchdown season. He has failed to replicate that high over the past two years for the Hurricanes, but not all was his fault though.
The 2022 Hurricanes were a general mess in Mario Cristobal’s first season, going 5-7. The senior has dealt with injuries and had to learn two different offensive systems over the past two years. The arm talent is still there, waiting to be hopefully unlocked in the right situation.
“He can be two different people,” one ACC head coach said in a report by Max Olson and Bruce Feldman for The Athletic. “He’s got a lot of arm talent. I think he played hurt this year and he was wildly inconsistent. Maybe he just needs a refresh.”
He will certainly have that opportunity, the starting quarterback position is wide open for Wisconsin. Last year the Badgers struggled through the air even when Mordecai was healthy, with only 11 passing touchdowns.
The “Dairy Raid” was not quite ready to be unleashed as Wisconsin still leaned heavily on the run. As the Badgers look to unleash more of an aerial assault, a passer with an arm like Van Dyke’s could be the key.
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