Wisconsin Football Declares Open Competition for Starting QB Job

When Luke Fickell and the Wisconsin football program kick off spring practice, they’ll do so without knowing who the Badgers’ starting quarterback will be. At least, that’s the story the coaches are sticking with.

During an episode of The Camp, hosted by Zach Heilprin and Jesse Temple of The Athletic, offensive coordinator Phil Longo addressed the possibility of a competition for the Wisconsin Badgers starting quarterback job. He emphasized that the player consistently executing the offense better would ultimately secure the position.

“I treat every spring the same way,” Longo said. “I mean, it’s, it’s open. Yeah, I mean, it Braedyn [Locke] improves and is the best guy we play Braedyn. If Nick [Evers] or Cole [LaCrue] comes out of the scene and they explode, and then they’re executing the offense better than everybody else, I’m gonna play them. If Tyler’s most talented and he can understand the system, it’s whoever is productive the most consistently. Those are the guys that we typically start.”

Wisconsin Football Won’t Name a Starting QB 

Whether you opt to believe Coach Longo’s statement or not, Wisconsin football made a calculated move during the offseason by landing Tyler Van Dyke, an experienced quarterback from Miami, through the transfer portal. The plan is to have him start in the upcoming season.

“He’s got a lot of experience,” Longo said of Van Dyke during bowl prep. “He’s a mentally tough kid. He’s very bright. Obviously, he’s tall and rangy, and he can throw it all over the yard; he can make all the throws.”

Van Dyke joins the Badgers with 28 starts under his belt, having amassed 7,469 career passing yards and 54 touchdowns with the Hurricanes. The Connecticut native also has 11 career games with 300+ passing yards on his resume and could help Wisconsin football push the ball downfield.

That said, redshirt sophomore Braedyn Locke showed some promise during his three starts for the Badgers. Locke threw for 777 yards, five touchdowns, and one interception. However, his 50% completion rate casts a shadow on the counting stats, given his perceived ability to make those short and intermediate throws.

At worst, Locke gives Wisconsin football a backup quarterback you could feel good about if needed. The best case scenario is that he gets another year to develop in Longo’s system, emerging as the clear-cut option in 2025 and beyond.

There’s also Nick Evers, who is a bit of a wild card at this point. He’s the most physically gifted and talented thrower of the football on the roster, but Evers had a long way to go in the classroom to earn reps. You’d love to see a jump from Evers in his second year working in Longo’s system.

“I think when a guy takes the bull by the horns out there, and they demonstrate and separate themselves from everybody else .. they decide it,” Longo said. “The team knows who it is. The coaches know who it is, you know, declaring it is really just repeating the obvious. We’ll give them all an opportunity and let somebody go attack it.

“Whoever comes out of this competition as our starter will be a really good one because it’s a good room.”

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