This is where PFF thinks Wisconsin’s QB stacks up with rest of Big Ten

This is where PFF thinks Wisconsin’s QB stacks up with rest of Big Ten

The Wisconsin Badgers football team is less than a week away from their regular season opener Aug. 30 at home versus Western Michigan and they’ll have a new starting quarterback in 2024, handing the reins to transfer Tyler Van Dyke.

Dalton Wasserman of Pro Football Focus College ranked the quarterbacks in the Big Ten, releasing his list on X. He considers Van Dyke to be the No. 3 overall QB in the conference.

Fellow transfer Dillon Gabriel (formerly with Oklahoma) and Penn State sophomore Drew Allar are the only two players considered to be better at the position by Wasserman.

Van Dyke transferred to Wisconsin in the offseason after four seasons at Miami, including an impressive 2021 campaign in which he compiled 2,931 passing yards and 25 touchdown passes while throwing six interceptions with the Hurricanes.

The Badgers will square off with both Gabriel and Allar in 2024, as well as Riley Moss (USC, No. 4) and Hudson Card (Purdue, No. 8) of the quarterbacks considered to be in the top half of the rankings.

How Wisconsin starter Tyler Van Dyke compares to Graham Mertz in PFF’s 2024 QB rankings

How Wisconsin QB Tyler Van Dyke compares to Graham Mertz in PFF’s 2024 QB rankings

ProFootballFocus ranked Wisconsin starting quarterback Tyler Van Dyke at No. 15 and former Badger leader Graham Mertz at No. 21 on its 2024 Power Five QB ranking list on Wednesday.

Van Dyke will start under center for the Badgers in 2024 after transferring in from Miami this offseason. Mertz, meanwhile, will do so for the second consecutive season with the Gators. He was previously Wisconsin’s starter from 2020-22.

Surprisingly, Big Ten rivals Dillon Gabriel (Oregon) and Drew Allar (Penn State) were the only two Big Ten quarterbacks to land above Van Dyke on the outlet’s latest list. PFF ranked Gabriel as the No. 2 quarterback in the country behind Georgia’s Carson Beck and budding star Drew Allar as the 13th-best QB in the sport.

USC’s Miller Moss (No. 23), Ohio State’s Will Howard (No. 27), Washington’s Will Rogers (No. 30), Indiana’s Kurtis Rourke (No. 36), Purdue’s Hudson Card (No. 43) and Illinois’ Luke Altmyer (No. 47) were included in the top 50 as well.

Mertz enters his second season at the helm in Gainesville, Florida after recording 2,903 yards and 20 touchdowns a season ago. He and the Gators will square off against Texas, LSU, Georgia and Florida State in a loaded SEC conference this fall. With a few big victories, Mertz can leapfrog several of these quarterbacks with a strong showing in marquee SEC games.

For UW, Wisconsin offensive coordinator Phil Longo named Van Dyke, who transferred from Miami (Florida) to UW in December, the platoon’s 2024 starting quarterback last week.

At Miami, he served as the Hurricanes’ starter for three seasons, including a 2021 campaign that netted him an ACC Rookie of the Year award. With nearly 7,500 passing yards under his belt, Van Dyke will look to sling it in the air-raid style offense during his first season as a Badger.

Van Dyke will receive his first opportunity against Western Michigan on Aug. 30 in front of what will surely be a raucous home crowd.

In total, 70 Power Five quarterbacks were included in PFF’s hierarchy — representing the new Power Four of the Big Ten, ACC, SEC and Big 12. Other notable names above Van Dyke included Shedeur Sanders (Colorado), Quinn Ewers (Texas), Jaxson Dart (Ole Miss), Jalen Milroe (Alabama), Brady Cook (Missouri), Conner Weigman (Texas A&M) and Cam Ward (Miami).

13 Wisconsin Badgers crack 2025 Senior Bowl watch list

13 Wisconsin Badgers crack 2025 Senior Bowl watch list

13 Wisconsin Badgers cracked the 2025 Senior Bowl watch list on Wednesday.

The 12th annual list includes 859 prospects from 180 programs across the country. The number usually dwindles to 110 players at the annual Feb. 1 contest in Mobile, Alabama, the home of the University of South Alabama.

On the offensive side, Wisconsin quarterback Tyler Van Dyke, wide receiver Will Pauling and running Chez Mellusi made the cut. Offensive linemen Jack Nelson, Joe Huber, Riley Mahlhan and Jake Renfro also represent UW’s offensive line on the list.

Defensively, linebacker Jaheim Thomas, outside linebacker John Pius, defensive lineman James Thompson Jr., defensive back RJ Delancy III, safety Hunter Wohler and cornerback Ricardo Hallman were listed as well.

Historically, the game format rosters its participants regionally into North and South teams. Since 2021, the bowl moved to American and National team designations with coaching staffs typically handpicked from two lower-ranked NFL teams.

Serving as somewhat of a post-season college football all-star bout, the Senior Bowl aims to showcase NFL Draft prospects who have finalized their college eligibility. NFL Network will broadcast the battle this winter.

Former Wisconsin Badgers QB earns starting role with Albany

Former Wisconsin Badgers QB earns starting role with Albany

Former Wisconsin Badgers quarterback Myles Burkett was named Albany’s starting quarterback entering the 2024 season on Wednesday.

Burkett spent two seasons with the Badgers after joining the program as a member of its class of 2022. He compiled 84 total passing yards in two appearances, both in 2022, before entering the transfer portal earlier this offseason

The Franklin, Wisconsin, native was buried on the depth chart behind Graham Mertz, Tanner Mordecai, Nick Evers and Braedyn Locke in Madison, greatly limiting his opportunities.

Now with Albany, Burkett, a redshirt sophomore, beat out senior Trey Lindsey for the starting job with the Great Danes.

When it comes to the Badgers’ starting QB job, transfer Tyler Van Dyke (University of Miami) was named as the team’s starter last week, winning the job over Braedyn Locke.

Opinion: Why quarterback competitions aren’t competitive in the transfer portal era

An extended analysis of Wisconsin and Ohio State’s quarterback competitions, each which reached a conclusion this week:

Wisconsin officially named veteran Tyler Van Dyke its starting quarterback on Wednesday. Ohio State then followed suit with Kansas State transfer Will Howard on Thursday.

Under similar circumstances, both players won their team’s respective ‘quarterback competitions,’ edging out others in the room who lacked college experience. Van Dyke was given the job over redshirt sophomore Braedyn Locke, while Howard won his over redshirt sophomore Devin Brown and others.

There is an overwhelming feeling that neither competition was really that competitive. That, given the context of experienced, accomplished veteran quarterbacks transferring to a program needing stability at the position, the jobs were theirs the moment they committed out of the portal last winter. In that case, the ‘competitions’ were more performative measures to keep the rest of the quarterback room engaged.

Related: Final 2024 Big Ten football standings projection using ESPN’s FPI matchup predictor

Perhaps this opinion is due to getting caught in the moment of seeing headlines left and right saying that Van Dyke and Howard ‘won quarterback battles.’ Or the news cycle stopping for two whole days to evaluate the impact of the two officially being named each team’s starter.

I’m drawn to an overwhelming thought that can translate to nearly every instance of an accomplished veteran quarterback transferring to a program in need of a starter: Van Dyke and Howard became the starters the moment each committed. If there were others in the room who were starting caliber, the teams would not have prioritized a transfer at the position.

That is even leaving the NIL part out of the equation, because nobody other than those involved know the figures at play.

I’m looking at the situation from the head coach’s perspective. Luke Fickell went into the portal to find a starting quarterback. He found one in Van Dyke. The training camp ‘competition,’ as Fickell and OC Phil Longo called it, was really then never in question.

The same thought applies to Ohio State. Ryan Day viewed Howard highly enough to make him Ohio State’s one transfer addition at the position. That decision, while not officially binding, feels somewhat so.

Think of the alternative: Day, on the hot seat in the eyes of some, lands a veteran quarterback in the portal only to start redshirt sophomore Devin Brown Week 1. That means Day severely overestimated Howard’s ability and whiffed on a significant transfer addition, because if Brown was that good to begin with, the Buckeyes would not have needed to go into the portal to find a quarterback.

That applies to Wisconsin as well. If Locke was the Badgers’ Week 1 starter vs. Western Michigan, then a mistake was made in the evaluation of Van Dyke compared to the rest of the available quarterbacks.

This is a statement on the current age of college football more than anything. Quarterback ‘battles’ are decided the moment a veteran, big-name transfer arrives. The player has too much leverage in this scenario to pick a destination where he may or may not play.

That isn’t a good or bad thing, it just feels like the reality of the current age of the sport. It mostly eliminates the three-year and four-year starter, unless that quarterback arrives as a five-star recruit who is either too talented to leave on the bench, or too valuable to the future of the program to risk losing (see: Dylan Raiola, Nebraska).

Head coaches need to win games, but they also need to establish their futures. That creates a difficult balance between fostering growth in the quarterback room and finding proven options to start under center each season.

So when Van Dyke ‘winning the starting job’ and Howard ‘officially being named the starter’ dominates the news cycle, both happened back in December.

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

One-on-one interview with Wisconsin Badgers tight end Tucker Ashcraft

One-on-one interview with Wisconsin Badgers tight end Tucker Ashcraft

The Wisconsin Badgers football team completed another training camp practice on Wednesday as they near their 2024 season-opener: Aug. 30 at home against Western Michigan.

Sophomore tight end Tucker Ashcraft is looking to take a step up in his second season with the team. In 2023, he was able to reel in eight catches for 81 yards and a touchdown. He feels his confidence is higher entering this year.

“Mentally, my confidence is there. My physicality is there. I’m working on getting faster every day,” Ashcraft said. “As a whole, I think we’re getting there. I think there’s things we can always clean up, but there’s a lot of good things that I’m seeing.”

Ashcraft will be working with a new starting quarterback in 2024 after it was announced Wednesday that transfer quarterback Tyler Van Dyke earned the job.

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“I think he’s a great quarterback. He can scramble and get out of the pocket and still make plays. Honestly, I’m pretty excited,” Ashcraft detailed.

Ashcraft will look to form a dynamic tight end duo this season with redshirt senior Riley Nowakowski — who profiles as a more productive blocking option — in offensive coordinator Phil Longo’s air raid scheme.

One-on-one interview with Wisconsin Badgers quarterback Tyler Van Dyke

One-on-one interview with Wisconsin Badgers quarterback Tyler Van Dyke

The Wisconsin Badgers football team held another training camp practice in Madison on Wednesday. It ended up being a rather notable one.

Following the conclusion of practice, offensive coordinator Phil Longo officially named Miami transfer quarterback Tyler Van Dyke as the team’s starter.

Van Dyke transferred to Wisconsin this offseason after spending four seasons at Miami, including three years as a starter.

After a disappointing 2023 campaign in which he compiled 19 passing touchdowns and a career-high 12 interceptions while compiling 2,703 passing yards over 11 games, the quarterback appreciates his opportunity with Wisconsin.

“It means a lot. It shows the coaches have confidence in me to get the job done. Shows the players have confidence in me as well,” Van Dyke explained.

He was in a position battle with redshirt sophomore Braedyn Locke, ultimately edging Locke out for the starting role.

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Van Dyke has faced his fair share of adversity in his career, whether with injury or with his role, something he thinks is valuable.

“You never want to go through your career with straight no adversity and everything is good. You have got to fight through adversity and I’m thankful for it,” the quarterback outlined.

Van Dyke will make his Wisconsin debut when the team begins it’s season in just over two weeks on Aug. 30 at home against Western Michigan.

Tyler Van Dyke joins long list of Wisconsin season-opening starting quarterbacks since 2000

Wisconsin has had 15 different starting quarterbacks since 2000:

Wisconsin offensive coordinator Phil Longo officially named veteran transfer Tyler Van Dyke the Badgers’ starting quarterback on Wednesday.

Van Dyke won the job after a multi-week training camp battle with redshirt sophomore Braedyn Locke. He had been trending toward winning the job for some days, though his status was not official until Longo’s availability on Wednesday. Locke will enter the season as the backup in what Longo calls a ‘1A, 1B’ situation.

Related: Full previews for every Wisconsin football position group entering 2024 season

Van Dyke joins a long list of Wisconsin starting quarterbacks since 2000. He is the 15th overall name on the list and the second added in the last two seasons (Tanner Mordecai, 2023). The Badgers certainly hope that rate slows moving forward as Longo’s system is fully implemented and high school recruiting at the position picks up.

But as we enter 2024 with Van Dyke officially starting under center, here is the updated list of every Wisconsin starting quarterback since 2000:

2000 Stats: 11 games, 52.6% completion, 1,363 yards, 7.1 yards per attempt, eight touchdowns, seven interceptions

2001 Stats: 9 games, 51.4% completion, 1,257 yards, 7.1 yards per attempt, six touchdowns, four interceptions

2002 Stats: 13 games, 53.5% completion, 1,758 yards, 7.2 yards per attempt, 14 touchdowns, four interceptions

2003 Stats: 12 games, 56.5% completion, 2,251 yards, 9.1 yards per attempt, 17 touchdowns, nine interceptions

2004 Stats: 12 games, 52.6% completion, 1,999 yards, 6.2 yards per attempt, nine touchdowns, seven interceptions

2005 Stats: 13 games, 60.1% completion, 2,920 yards, 8.9 yards per attempt, 21 touchdowns, nine interceptions

2006 Stats: 11 games, 59% completion, 2,185 yards, 8.2 yards per attempt, 17 touchdowns, six interceptions

2007 Stats: 13 games, 58% completion, 2,607 yards, 7.8 yards per attempt, 17 touchdowns, 11 interceptions

2008 Stats: 6 games, 53.8% completion, 949 yards, 7.2 yards per attempt, five touchdowns, five interceptions

2009 Stats: 13 games, 64.3% completion, 2,705 yards, 8.2 yards per attempt, 16 touchdowns, 11 interceptions

2010 Stats: 13 games, 72.9% completion, 2,459 yards, 9.2 yards per attempt, 16 touchdowns, six interceptions

2011 Stats: 14 games, 72.8% completion, 3,175 yards, 10.3 yards per attempt, 33 touchdowns, four interceptions

2012 Stats: 7 games, 60.5% completion, 523 yards, 6.1 yards per attempt, three touchdowns, one interception

2013 Stats: 13 games, 61.9% completion, 2,494 yards, 7.4 yards per attempt, 22 touchdowns, 13 interceptions

2014 Stats: 14 games, 58% completion, 709 yards, 6.3 yards per attempt, five touchdowns, six interceptions

2015 Stats: 13 games, 60.8% completion, 2,687 yards, 7.3 yards per attempt, 11 touchdowns, 11 interceptions

2016 Stats: 11 games, 68.1% completion, 1,245 yards, 8.8 yards per attempt, five touchdowns, three interceptions

2017 Stats: 14 games, 62.3% completion, 2,644 yards, 8.3 yards per attempt, 25 touchdowns, 15 interceptions

2018 Stats: 9 games, 59.5% completion, 1,532 yards, 7.5 yards per attempt, 13 touchdowns, 11 interceptions

2019 Stats: 14 games, 69.6% completion, 2,727 yards, 8.0 yards per attempt, 18 touchdowns, five interceptions

2020 Stats: 7 games, 61.1% completion, 1,238 yards, 6.4 yards per attempt, nine touchdowns, five interceptions

2021 Stats: 13 games, 59.5% completion, 1,958 yards, 6.9 yards per attempt, 10 touchdowns, 11 interceptions

2022 Stats: 12 games, 57.3% completion, 2,136 yards, 7.5 yards per attempt, 19 touchdowns, 10 interceptions

2023 Stats: 10 games, 65% completion, 2,066 yards, 6.6 yards per attempt, 9 touchdowns, four interceptions

Van Dyke was named the Badgers’ 2024 starter on Wednesday. He is the program’s 15 different season-opening starting quarterback since 2000.

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.

Wisconsin Badgers name Tyler Van Dyke starting QB

Tyler Van Dyke will mark a new starter for the Badgers for the second year in a row.

The Wisconsin Badgers have officially named transfer quarterback Tyler Van Dyke as the starter. This was reported by On3’s Griffin McVeigh on Wednesday.

Van Dyke came to the program in December, after four seasons with the Miami Hurricanes. He struggled a bit in the 2023 campaign, throwing for 1,884 yards, 16 touchdowns, and eight interceptions. His 161.5 quarterback rating was the highest of his collegiate career.

Van Dyke’s best season with Miami came in 2021. He threw for 2,931 yards, 25 touchdowns, and six interceptions. In four years at Miami, he tallied 6.659 passing yards, 51 touchdowns, and nine interceptions.

Nebraska football will face Wisconsin in the later part of the season on November 23. They will get their first-ever look at Van Dyke. He should be able to bring a strong arm and sound decision-making to the table. Nebraska lost to Wisconsin by a 24-17 margin in overtime in 2023.

Van Dyke will undoubtedly bring a new element to the Badgers offense, as they look to build off a 7-5 season last year.

Contact/Follow us @CornhuskersWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Nebraska news, notes, and opinions.

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Wisconsin starting quarterback earns Gold Arm Award watch list recognition

Wisconsin starting quarterback earns Gold Arm Award watch list recognition

Wisconsin starting quarterback Tyler Van Dyke earned 2024 Golden Arm Award watch list recognition on Wednesday.

The award, which is presented to the nation’s top college quarterback each season, includes 63 nominees across the country from all 10 FBS conferences and independents.

Van Dyke joins several Badgers who have earned preseason award recognition, including wide receiver Will Pauling, safety Hunter Wohler, cornerback Ricardo Hallman, offensive lineman Jake Renfro, long snapper Cayson Pfeiffer, kicker Nathanial Vakos.

Notable former winners of the Golden Arm Award include Jayden Daniels (2023), Kenny Pickett (2021), Mac Jones (2020), Joe Burrow (2019) and Deshaun Watson (2016).

The news of Van Dyke’s spot on the list arrives the same day offensive coordinator Phil Longo named the former Miami Hurricane the Badgers’ starting QB entering the season.

Van Dyke earned the job over redshirt sophomore Braedyn Locke, who will likely become Wisconsin’s starter in both 2025 and 2026.

Van Dyke started for three seasons at Miami before transferring to UW. He finished his 2021 campaign as the ACC’s Rookie of the Year.