Tyler Van Dyke – Syndication Server

Takeaways from Wisconsin football’s de-facto spring game

Takeaways from Wisconsin’s de-facto spring game:

The Wisconsin Badgers football team hosted their 13th spring practice of the year Saturday, playing primarily 11-on-11 for the duration. Luke Fickell and the Badgers no longer host a spring game between their offensive and defensive units, but Saturday came close.

Graduate transfer quarterback Tyler Van Dyke (Miami, Florida) handled the majority of the first-team reps at practice, though redshirt sophomore Braedyn Locke continued to get plenty of work as well.

Van Dyke connected for a pair of notable touchdowns to tight end Riley Nowakowski and wide receiver Tyrell Henry, while once again showing an improved understanding of Phil Longo’s offense.

With just a pair of practices remaining before spring workouts conclude, Van Dyke has proven capable of being the team’s primary option at quarterback in 2024.

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Wide receiver Trech Kekahuna has impressed throughout camp, and he made sure to show off his shiftiness on a handful of occasions while operating out of the slot wideout position on Saturday. With Will Pauling returning for another season, Wisconsin has a formidable duo in the slot.

At running back, both transfer Tawee Walker (Oklahoma) and true freshman Gideon Ituka produces scores on the ground. Familiar faces Chez Mellusi and Nate White churned out big gains.

On the defensive side, linebacker Darryl Peterson had a big day, getting to the quarterback and into the backfield on a semi-regular basis, showing his elite understanding of Mike Tressel’s defensive approach.

Transfer linebackers John Pius (William & Mary) and Leon Lowery (Syracuse) have been among the most notable additions to Wisconsin’s roster this season and they figure to make a significant impact in the pass rush in 2024.

Last but not least, safety Hunter Wohler is back for 2024, and he looks to build upon a 2023 campaign in which he led the team with 120 total tackles while also snatching a pair of interceptions. He has been just as effective this spring and was good for some show-stopping hits on the practice field Saturday.

The @BadgerFootball team’s 13th spring practice and last Saturday session was today 💨

Takeaways:

– QB Tyler Van Dyke has the upper hand in “first team” reps

– LB Darryl Peterson was constantly in the backfield

– RBs Tawee Walker and Nate White both with TDs@TheGameMadison pic.twitter.com/zImUz5xS7w

— Nick Bruesewitz (@NickBruesewitz) April 27, 2024

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Wisconsin boasts two of 247Sports’ ‘top Big Ten newcomers’ entering 2024

Two of Wisconsin football’s offseason additions made 247Sports’ list of the top 25 Big Ten newcomers entering 2024.

Those two: quarterback Tyler Van Dyke at No. 23 and inside linebacker Tackett Curtis at No. 14.

Van Dyke is set to likely start for the Badgers this season after four years at Miami. He transfers with 32 games of experience and stats including a 63.7 completion percentage, 7,469 yards, 54 touchdowns and 23 interceptions. His inclusion on the list is no surprise, as he’s instantly one of the more accomplished quarterbacks in the conference.

Curtis, meanwhile, transferred to Wisconsin after one season at USC. The former top recruit started most of the season at inside linebacker for a poor Trojans defense, recording 40 tackles, 4 tackles for loss and two sacks. He brings an impressive recruiting pedigree and a ton of potential, but he isn’t in line to start for the Badgers in 2024.

Luke Fickell and his staff worked hard to re-shape the program’s linebacker room. Veteran Jaheim Thomas is projected to start alongside Jake Chaney this season, with Curtis and former UNC linebacker Sebastian Cheeks forming the future.

Curtis has a high transfer portal ranking because of his high school billing. But he likely won’t have a huge impact in 2024.

https://t.co/lExSrFgVrG #Badgers

— Evan Flood (@Evan_Flood) April 18, 2024

247Sports’ piece looks at the highest transfer rating, which Curtis does bring. It may just take a few years for that potential to pay off on the field.

Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes and opinion. Follow Ben Kenney on X.

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Wisconsin Badgers quarterback entering transfer portal

The Wisconsin Badgers football team is nearing the halfway point of its spring practices, but it had a quarterback announce his intentions to transfer Saturday.

After one full season with the Badgers, quarterback Nick Evers has decided to seek his next opportunity elsewhere. The former four-star recruit joined Wisconsin ahead of the 2023 campaign, transferring from Oklahoma after his freshman year.

Evers battled true freshman Mabrey Mettauer for reps behind Tyler Van Dyke and Braedyn Locke during the Badgers’ first seven spring practices and appeared unlikely to be in a position to compete for the starting job with Luke Fickell’s squad in Madison.

The spring transfer portal officially opens on April 16 (Tuesday) and it will close on April 30.

Thank You Madison ❤️ pic.twitter.com/040guzpm9I

— nicco (@NickEvers12) April 13, 2024

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Wisconsin OC Phil Longo discusses Badgers ongoing quarterback competition

Who should start at QB for Wisconsin this fall?

Wisconsin offensive coordinator Phil Longo met with the media Friday as the Badgers’ spring season continued. One topic of conversation was his quarterback room and the state of the competition between veteran transfer Tyler Van Dyke and returning youngster Braedyn Locke.

Van Dyke joined the Badgers this offseason after three years of starting at Miami. He brings a wealth of experience, plus 912 career pass attempts, 581 completions, 7,469 yards, 54 touchdowns and 23 interceptions.

Locke, on the other hand, returns after a redshirt freshman season at Wisconsin that saw him thrust into action after an injury to starter Tanner Mordecai. He played in five games, completing 50% of his passes for 777 yards, five touchdowns and one interception.

The veteran figures to be the starter — as was the case with Mordecai last season. But Wisconsin is reportedly approaching it as a pure competition and giving Locke a real chance to win the job.

“I think any time you have more talent in the room, and not just bodies, it breeds competition,” Longo said. “So if you want reps and you want to get on the field on game day, you have to beat out a number of other good players.”

That last part rings true, as the Badgers quarterback room currently consists of Van Dyke, Locke, highly touted youngster Nick Evers and true freshman Mabrey Mettauer. The room is as talented as it’s ever been, which should breed the productive competition that Longo refers to.

Here is his full answer and emphasis on the job being up for grabs:

“I think any time you have more talent in the room, not just bodies, it breeds competition.” ⚒️

🔗 | https://t.co/q9KFtFUPw4 pic.twitter.com/tpSQE6KTwu

— Wisconsin Football (@BadgerFootball) April 5, 2024

As I wrote on X yesterday, Wisconsin fans should be thrilled if Locke somehow wins the job. It would mean he beat out an impressive room of QBs, including one of the more established starters in the nation.

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Where Wisconsin QB Tyler Van Dyke falls on Fanduel’s 2024 Heisman Trophy odds

What’s your expectation for Wisconsin QB Tyler Van Dyke this season?

Wisconsin enters the 2024 football season needing a big year from transfer quarterback Tyler Van Dyke.

Van Dyke moves to Wisconsin after having spent the first four years of his career at Miami, amassing 7,469 total passing yards 54 touchdowns and 23 interceptions. The veteran’s best season came as a freshman in 2021, when he threw for 2,931 yards and a 25-6 touchdown-to-interception ratio.

For Luke Fickell’s team to have a resurgent year after 2023’s 7-6 campaign, Van Dyke will need to recapture his 2021 form for a full 12-game schedule.

Looking ahead to the season, we’ve already ranked all 18 programs in the Big Ten, ranked the 18 starting quarterbacks, ranked all 18 head coaches, predicted each Big Ten team’s 2024 record, looked at the early College Football Playoff tiers, made bold predictions for the season and checked in on the Las Vegas win totals for each team in the conference.

Now, here’s where Wisconsin quarterback Tyler Van Dyke falls on Fanduel’s 2024 Heisman Trophy odds list:

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Wisconsin football’s biggest questions entering spring practice

What do you need to see from Wisconsin football this spring?

Wisconsin football begins its spring practice period this month.

It marks a pivotal point in the offseason as roster management yields to full-out preparation for the upcoming season. This pivotal point leads into what is an important Year 2 for Luke Fickell at Wisconsin.

The Badgers underwhelmed with a 7-6 record in his first season and face a daunting schedule in the new era of the Big Ten. Fickell was hired to return Wisconsin to a championship-contending program. A strong 2024 is paramount to that goal.

Looking ahead to the season, we’ve already ranked the 18 programs in the Big Ten, the 18 starting quarterbacks, all 18 head coaches, each Big Ten team’s 2024 record and the Las Vegas win totals for each team in the conference.

With spring practice quickly approaching, here are our biggest questions for Wisconsin football entering the period:

An updated look at Wisconsin football’s highest NIL player valuations

Wisconsin football returns to the field for spring practice in late March.

It is then that we’ll get a first glimpse at some of the Badgers’ newcomers, including former Miami quarterback Tyler Van Dyke, former Oklahoma running back Tawee Walker and former Arkansas linebacker Jaheim Thomas.

The spring period promises to be an active one after Wisconsin’s disappointing 7-6 campaign. Improvements are needed on both sides of the football as the program prepares to face one of the conference’s toughest schedules.

Before football itself returns, it’s time to check in on the latest name, image and likeness valuations for Wisconsin’s top players.

On3’s NIL valuation algorithm is based on four factors: on-field performance, social media influence, general exposure and data of existing NIL deals.

Below are On3’s top 10 NIL valuations on the 2024 Wisconsin Badgers:

(Remember, these are only valuations and not reported or confirmed NIL deals or numbers)

Big Ten starting quarterback rankings for 2024

Where does Wisconsin’s Tyler Van Dyke fall?

Official preparation for the 2024 Big Ten football season begins next month as programs across the country open spring practice.

This year in the Big Ten will be unlike any we’ve previously seen. There are four new additions, obviously, but there are also traditional stalwarts looking to evolve with the direction of the sport.

Looking ahead to the season, we’ve already ranked all 18 programs in the Big Ten, ranked all 18 head coaches, predicted each Big Ten team’s 2024 record and checked in on the Las Vegas win totals for each team in the conference.

Now we look at where the conference stands at the quarterback position. First, here is our quarterback ranking list entering last season. Northwestern’s Brendan Sullivan and Rutgers’ Gavin Wimsatt exceeded expectations, while Iowa’s Cade McNamara and Nebraska’s Jeff Sims were injured and terrible, respectively. Other than that, the rankings were pretty spot-on.

But 2023 only included 14 Big Ten teams, plus several quarterbacks we had history with. 2024 is anybody’s guess. The 18-team conference has everything from highly touted young quarterbacks with no experience to some five-year veterans looking for a final chance.

This year was much harder to predict. That said, here are our initial Big Ten quarterback rankings entering 2024:

Ranking the 10 best players on the 2024 Wisconsin Badgers

Agree with the list?

Wisconsin football is now less than 200 days away from opening its 2024 season against Western Michigan.

The 2024 campaign is an important one for Luke Fickell and his program. The team went 7-6 in 2023, an understandable record given the challenges coaches face in their first year at new jobs.

But first-year excuses, or explanations, go away once year two begins. That’s why Wisconsin’s transfer portal haul and returning production must return the Badgers to their top-of-the-conference standing — even against one of the Big Ten’s toughest schedules.

Look ahead to 2024, we’ve already ranked all 18 programs in the Big Ten, ranked all 18 head coaches, predicted each Big Ten team’s 2024 record and checked in on the Las Vegas win totals for each team in the conference.

Now, our ranking of Wisconsin’s 10 best players entering the 2024 season:

Wisconsin QB named as a player that has the most to prove in 2024

What do you expect from Wisconsin’s new QB this season?

One of Wisconsin’s biggest moves of this offseason was the addition of former Miami quarterback Tyler Van Dyke.

Van Dyke brings years of starting experience, having led the Miami Hurricanes for the last three seasons. In that time he completed 63.7% of his passes for 7469 yards, 54 touchdowns and 23 interceptions.

The veteran quarterback’s best year was 2021, when he threw for 2931 yards and a 25-6 touchdown-to-interception ratio. Van Dyke is a proven quarterback, but he’s been searching for his 2021 form ever since.

That’s where Wisconsin comes in. The Badgers did fine at quarterback last season with former SMU signal caller Tanner Mordecai. The room is deep with star talent, but head coach Luke Fickell and offensive coordinator Phil Longo needed a sure bet to kickstart their season.

Van Dyke should be a good fit in Longo’s air raid offense. But he’ll need to be his 2021 self if the Badgers are going to compete in the tough Big Ten landscape.

The ESPN college football staff recently released the college football coaches and players who have the most to prove in 2024. Included in his list: new Wisconsin quarterback Tyler Van Dyke.

Nov 24, 2023; Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, USA; Miami Hurricanes quarterback Tyler Van Dyke (9) looks to pass against the Boston College Eagles during the first half at Alumni Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Fluharty-USA TODAY Sports

“When Van Dyke won ACC Rookie of the Year honors in 2021 at Miami, the expectation was that he would be long gone to the NFL by now,” Adam Rittenberg writes. “But after two sometimes solid, sometimes choppy seasons with different coordinators under coach Mario Cristobal, Van Dyke entered the portal and sought a fresh start…If Van Dyke can be the quarterback who makes the Air Raid go in Madison, he will not only boost his NFL chances, but bring Wisconsin closer to the 12-team CFP mix

I agree with Rittberg’s sentiment. It feels as if much of the Badgers’ College Football Playoff hope rests on the veteran quarterback’s shoulders. If he enters and plays like he did in 2021, the Badgers could be a real threat. If not, it’ll be the same mediocrity we’ve seen for the last four years.

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Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes, and opinion. Follow Ben Kenney on X.