Wisconsin offensive coordinator Phil Longo ended any question about the Badgers’ starting quarterback situation entering the 2024 season when meeting with the media on Wednesday.
He named veteran Miami transfer Tyler Van Dyke the team’s prohibitive starter, with redshirt sophomore Braedyn Locke the primary backup.
Related: Full previews for every Wisconsin football position group entering 2024 season
Longo’s comments to the media come after Van Dyke had recently captured the entirety of the unit’s first-team reps at training camp.
Van Dyke and Locke mostly split those reps during the Badgers’ two-week satellite camp at UW-Platteville. Since the team returned to campus on Monday, the sessions have seen the veteran emerge as the clear No. 1 option.
Phil Longo confirmed what we've seen in practices: Tyler Van Dyke's the #Badgers QB1
— Colten Bartholomew (@CBartWSJ) August 14, 2024
This news is no surprise given the context of both players’ situations.
Van Dyke was a priority transfer addition last December. He was a three-year starter at Miami, including a breakout 2021 season that finished in an ACC Rookie of the Year award.
The veteran brings 30 games, 912 pass attempts and nearly 7,500 yards of experience. Despite some recent struggles amid coaching turnover at Miami, many project Longo’s pass-friendly offense to be exactly what Van Dyke needs to boost his NFL draft stock.
Locke, meanwhile, transferred to Wisconsin as a redshirt freshman before last season. He was thrust into action when starter Tanner Mordecai went down. While he performed well in that limited action given the circumstances, he was a significant longshot to earn the starting job entering 2024.
Locke remains Wisconsin’s projected starter in 2025 and 2026. Longo was sure to enforce the program’s optimism about his future.
But when Wisconsin kicks off its 2024 season on Aug. 30 against Western Michigan, it will be Tyler Van Dyke taking the snaps under center.
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