Why Wisconsin Football Added a Veteran Transfer Portal Quarterback

In today’s evolving college football landscape, the transfer portal has become both a boon and a quandary for coaches and fans alike. The recent addition of quarterback Tyler Van Dyke to the Wisconsin football program has sparked a spirited debate among the Badgers faithful.

The discussion revolves around Luke Fickell and his coaching staff, who initially expressed a preference for not relying on the transfer portal to construct the Badgers’ roster. However, they’ve notably acquired an experienced transfer quarterback for the second consecutive season.

It’s left some questioning Wisconsin’s development plan for their young signal callers, Braedyn Locke and Nick Evers, who are redshirt freshmen. 

Wisconsin Football Bolstered Its QB Room via the Transfer Portal

The recruitment of Miami’s Tyler Van Dyke, a transfer QB with a three-year starting background, has evoked contrasting opinions. 

While some have expressed concerns about overlooking internal options and the potential hindrance to the progression of younger quarterbacks, others view it as a no-brainer move to fortify the team’s overall depth and improve their chances of winning for the upcoming season.

The essence of this discourse revolves around the perpetual tug-of-war between immediate success and long-term development. It’s a problem faced by coaches like Luke Fickell, striving to build a balance between nurturing homegrown talent and leveraging transfer options to amplify the program’s potential.

Yet, the reality of college football coaching remains: they’re all under pressure to win games (immediately), and the opportunity to bolster the team’s talent pool each offseason is a hard-to-resist temptation. 

This reality applies to all position groups, but especially at QB. Last season, Wisconsin football faced a shortage of experienced options after Graham Mertz entered the transfer portal. 

That prompted the additions of Nick Evers, Tanner Mordecai, and Braedyn Locke to infuse talent and depth into the QB room. However, with Burkett’s departure and Locke leading the room with just three starts under his belt, securing a seasoned player like Van Dyke became imperative for the team’s success in 2024.

“You’ve got an old guy like Tanner, who’s going to walk out the door, and you don’t have a whole lot in between,” Fickell told reporters. “Do you want to continue to keep doing this and over and over again? No, that’s not the objective of what we’re doing. But when you’ve got really young guys, it’s really kind of difficult to not say we’re going to bring somebody in to compete. We kind of had that philosophy and kind of thought this might be another year of having to do that, regardless of what we think of those other guys.”

Critics worry that relying on one-year rental quarterbacks from the transfer portal might disrupt the team’s offensive continuity. Yet, the transient nature of college football and the uncertainty of injuries make it crucial to have a veteran presence who can navigate a demanding schedule and lead by example. 

In my humble opinion, the Wisconsin football coaching staff had no choice but to add someone. It appears they felt the same way. 

The Bigger Implications for the Badgers

Nevertheless, when you go beyond the immediate impact of Tyler Van Dyke’s transfer, it reveals a more significant rationale for the Badgers’ addition. Having an upperclassman helps counterbalance the uneven scholarship distribution in the QB room — paving the way to a more sustainable blueprint for the Wisconsin football program moving forward.

The move sets the stage for a balanced — and incredibly talented quarterback room in the upcoming seasons, fostering a culture of competition that fuels development and sustains the team’s growth.

Braedyn Locke, Nick Evers, Cole LaCrue, and Mabrey Mettauer will all have time to develop behind him. Should the cream rise to the top, and one of the younger options supplant TVD for the starting job, it’s even better because it means they earned it without question.

Luke Fickell has emphasized that no guarantees are given to any incoming players, affirming the unwavering culture of competition that the Wisconsin Badgers are trying to cultivate.

“Don’t get me wrong, any quarterback that I talked to, I said, ‘Look, nothing’s gonna be handed to you,'” Fickell said. “To be honest, those guys are mature guys. They understand that, and we said the same thing to Tanner Mordecai. There might be an expectation. You might have more experience than anybody else. But you’re going to walk into a place where, ultimately, the culture of what we want to do is make guys compete. Any of them that I have talked to in particular understand that and what that.”

This Wisconsin football coaching staff will play the best option under center regardless of who that is. So, adding Van Dyke doesn’t suddenly make these other players afterthoughts — it only breeds competition.

While opinions may differ, the addition of Van Dyke to the Wisconsin Badgers’ roster represents a calculated move aiming to strike a balance between short-term gains and long-term stability.

This decision underscores the coaching staff’s efforts to build a program that can adapt, evolve, and (hopefully) thrive amid the ever-evolving landscape of college football.

Thank you for taking time out of your busy day to read our work at BadgerNotes.com. For more Wisconsin Badgers Athletics and Big Ten content, follow us on Twitter & Facebook. You can also subscribe to our YouTube Channel. For feedback, questions, or to apply for a writing position, please email our Publisher @DillonGraff at Dillon.T.Graff@gmail.com. 

Also, be sure to check out our shop, subscribe to our newsletter, and the BadgerNotes After Dark podcast, which is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and all other streaming platforms. Because of your support, we have become one of the fastest-growing independent media outlets focused on giving a voice to the fans!