2020 specialist Jack Van Dyke commits to Wisconsin as preferred walk-on
The Wisconsin Badgers received their third preferred walk-on commitment of the 2020 class Monday, as Neenah (WI) specialist Jack Van Dyke announced his decision to play at UW.
Kohl's Kicking rates Van Dyke as a five-star kicker and punter, as well as the No. 19 kicker and No. 16 punter in the nation, respectively. He received two preferred walk-on opportunities within the past month before making his decision final. On June 26, he declared the Wisconsin offer, and just two days after that news, he tweeted he received the same chance from Iowa.
“I mean, it’s crazy. Just the feeling to have two huge programs believe in you and trust in you that you're a good player and person is just amazing," Van Dyke told BadgerBlitz.com on July 3. "Especially Wisconsin being my first [offer]. It’s been a dream of mine to play there the past couple years. Then to have Iowa on top of that, it’s a crazy feeling. It’s hard to explain.”
Van Dyke participated in Wisconsin's specialist camp on June 23. Just days later, the home-state program presented the preferred walk-on opportunity.
"I was just so happy to have finally gotten my first offer because I just worked so hard in the past year," Van Dyke said in that same July 3 conversation. "My family was on the phone, too. My dad, I think, teared up a little bit just because he was so excited and my mom couldn’t really talk, so that just made me happy, too, because I knew that I made them proud.”
According to Van Dyke earlier this month, both schools looked at him primarily as a punter or for kickoff duties.
"Then Wisconsin, they’re losing a bunch of people in the next couple years," Van Dyke said. "I think Wisconsin is a little bit more open but both [special teams coach Chris] Haering and [special teams analyst] Taylor Mehlhaff told me that they wanted me to punt for them, mainly. But they also said that it’s pretty open with how many guys they’re losing.”
Van Dyke joins two other in-state recruits - offensive lineman Sean Timmis and long snapper Duncan McKinley - as walk-ons for this 2020 class.
Wisconsin currently holds 11 scholarship commitments for this recruiting cycle.