MADISON, Wis. — Tyler Van Dyke was named Wisconsin’s starting quarterback on Wednesday.
Van Dyke, a Miami transfer, had been competing with Braedyn Locke, who started three games last season in place of the injured Tanner Mordecai. Offensive coordinator Phil Longo announced after Wisconsin’s morning practice that Van Dyke had won the job.
Wisconsin opens its season by hosting Western Michigan on Aug. 30, a Friday night game. The Badgers, who went 7-6 last year in their first season under Luke Fickell, are outside the preseason AP Top 25 for the first time since 2016.
Van Dyke was the Atlantic Coast Conference Rookie of the Year in 2021 but struggled with injuries and inconsistency during his next two seasons at Miami. He lost his starting spot to Emory Williams before regaining it once Williams suffered a season-ending arm injury.
He completed 63.7% of his passes for 7,469 yards with 54 touchdowns and 23 interceptions in three years with the Hurricanes. Last season, he completed 65.8% of his attempts for 2,703 yards with 19 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.
Longo complimented Locke’s progress on Wednesday and said the gap between Wisconsin’s top two quarterbacks was narrower than last year, when Mordecai was the clear No. 1.
“As Fick says, we kind of see it as a 1A and a 1B type of situation right now as opposed to a 1 and a 2,” Longo said. “That’s how well Braedyn has done here in camp. But as of right now, Tyler Van Dyke is our starter.”