Wisconsin's 2024 football season is right around the corner, so BadgerBlitz.com ranked the top 30 players who we think will be the keys to success for Luke Fickell's squad this year.
Playing time, past performance and positional depth all factored into our staff rankings.
RECRUITING STORY
No transfer portal addition the Badgers made this offseason was more crucial than quarterback Tyler Van Dyke.
The three-year starter at Miami, ranked as the No. 14 quarterback in the transfer portal by Rivals, announced his decision in December.
“I think it was time,” Van Dyke said during spring.
“I had a lot of ups-and-downs at Miami and I think coming here is a really good fresh start, especially with someone like [offensive coordinator] Coach [Phil] Longo. I had a lot of success with Coach [Rhett] Lashlee, he’s more of that spread, air-raid type offense, and I think it’ll be a good fit for me.”
Van Dyke burst onto the scene as a redshirt freshman in 2021, where he threw 2,931 yards, 25 touchdowns and six interceptions, winning ACC Rookie of the Year honors.
He played two more productive seasons as a Hurricane, but never matched the magic of his debut or improved at the rate that was initially expected.
Paul Chryst’s Badgers showed strong interest in Van Dyke during his high school recruitment, as did many other major programs.
The pro style quarterback was ranked as the #203 player in the class of 2020, second in the state of Connecticut and eighth at his position. He ultimately chose Miami over 20-plus offers, a group that included Michigan, Michigan State, UCLA and Oklahoma State, among others.
STRENGHTHS/WEAKNESSES
As a passer, Van Dyke possesses a combination of talent and polish that’s rarely seen at Wisconsin. Compared to Tanner Mordecai, Van Dyke’s arm isn’t as strong, but he’s more consistently accurate and throws a prettier ball.
His size is also rare for a Badger quarterback. At 6-foot-4, he’ll be the tallest Wisconsin starting quarterback since Alex Hornibrook in 2019. He’s gradually filled out his frame, too, as he’s now listed at 225 pounds.
Over the past three seasons, he’s used all of his natural talent to look like one of the better quarterbacks in the country at his best. The issue is he can be rather hot-and-cold.
Through the first four games of last season, he completed 74.7% of his passes, throwing 11 touchdowns and one interception. In the next four games, he dropped to 62.7% with five touchdowns and 10 interceptions.
He’s struggled with injuries and coordinator turnover, but his talent and experience made him a no-brainer when the Badgers were mulling options in the transfer portal.
WHY HE'S No. 1
In modern football, the starting quarterback will be the most important player on almost all teams. Mordecai was No. 1 on this list last year, and whoever starts at quarterback next year will probably take the top spot then as well.
However, this addition feels different. Van Dyke started for multiple seasons at another major Power Four program. He brings NFL-level talent, and experience in multiple different systems, which I’m not sure can be said for any other quarterback in Badger history.
More than any other quarterback on the roster, Van Dyke knows what it takes to be a starting quarterback.
“The quarterback is always gonna be under that pressure,” Van Dyke said.
“I learned a lot — stay off social media, no matter if it’s good or bad. I mean I’ve had the highest of the highs, back in ‘21, and obviously, ups-and-downs, lows. A lot of people said stuff about me, it is what it is, I’m in that spotlight.”
The Badgers needed to add a veteran quarterback. Braedyn Locke had a great spring and created a real quarterback battle. However, he’s only started three games and isn’t nearly as physically talented. Fickell and company know what they’re getting from Van Dyke despite him being a newer face.
OVERALL
When Fickell hired Longo to be his offensive coordinator, both the value and expectations of the quarterback position increased exponentially.
2023 was very much a transition year for the program, and it was especially evident in the passing game. The receiving room wasn’t very effective, and Mordecai was both a perpetrator and victim of the offense’s struggles.
This is all to say that the offense was ultimately a disappointment last season. They needed a quarterback who was a sure thing.
And on the other side, Van Dyke will try to absolve some of his own personal disappointment as well. After his breakout redshirt freshman season, he was being spoken of as a future NFL first round pick.
His following season was marred by injury and overall unsatisfactory. 2023 was an improvement, but still nothing like 2021. He’s waiting to pop once again.
Perhaps he could be another Michael Penix, who played his way into the first round deep into his career. Or he could be remembered as a one-season wonder. 2024 is Van Dyke’s last chance, so we’ll find out soon enough.
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