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Wisconsin officially settles starting QB battle during training camp

Paul Harvey

By Paul Harvey

Published:

Wisconsin fans no longer have to wait on the starting quarterback battle for the Badgers. Offensive coordinator Phil Longo met with the media on Wednesday, and he clarified that Wisconsin does have some clarity on the depth chart.

Longo officially confirmed that Miami transfer Tyler Van Dyke is the starter at this point in the process. That means Braedyn Locke, a redshirt sophomore who made 3 starts in 2023, will be the backup entering the season.

While Locke is the current backup, Longo used the opportunity to highlight his growth throughout the offseason. Instead of being a true backup, Longo described Van Dyke and Locke as “a 1A and 1B situation” with how much Locke has progressed in fall camp.

“This year, it’s Tyler Van Dyke and we really see Braedyn Locke — I mentioned to you in the past how much better he’s gotten this year. And as (head coach Luke Fickell) says, we kind of see it as a 1A and 1B situation as opposed to a 1 and a 2,” described Longo. “That’s how well Braedyn has done here in camp.”

Last season, Locke started 3 games in place of the injured Tanner Mordecai and appeared in 5 games total. He captured the B1G’s Freshman of the Week honors while leading a comeback win over Illinois. Locke finished the 2023 season 76-for-152 throwing the ball for 777 yards with 5 touchdowns and an interception.

The decision is not a surprising one with Van Dyke becoming the key transfer piece for Wisconsin this past offseason. A veteran contributor for the Hurricanes, Van Dyke has 54 passing touchdowns and over 7,400 yards across the 2021-23 seasons to go with a pair of rushing touchdowns.

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One of the issues for the Badger offense a season ago was a lack of downfield passing threats. Van Dyke has a shot to correct that with a career 8.2 average yards per attempt.

If Van Dyke stays healthy and brings more balance to the offense, the Badgers have a shot at surprising some folks, even in the new era of B1G football.

Paul Harvey

Paul is a lifelong fan and student of all things college football. He has been covering college football since 2017 and the B1G since 2018.