Badgers want to name starting QB 'sooner rather than later'

Wisconsin still hasn't officially named a starting quarterback.

Wisconsin quarterback Tyler Van Dyke throws a pass during spring practice at the McClain Center in Madison, Wisconsin on Tuesday April 2, 2024. / Mark Stewart / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK

Wisconsin has officially begun preparation for the 2024 season as fall camp opened on Monday, July 29. We are less than 30 days away from the Badgers kicking off their season against Western Michigan and they've still not officially named a starting quarterback, but that could change shortly.

"We want to get something into place sooner rather than later because I think the continuity of everything is really important," head coach Luke Fickell told the media. "We’ll probably go through the next few days before we jump to any conclusions and start shifting.”

Miami (FL) graduate transfer Tyler Van Dyke and redshirt sophomore Braedyn Locke are still battling for first-team reps. Van Dyke has started three times as many games at the Division I level, but it seems like he has to still earn the starting role before Week 1.

Van Dyke was a consensus top-15 quarterback in the transfer portal this offseason and he was highly sought after around the country. In three seasons as a starter with the Hurricanes, he totaled nearly 7,500 passing yards, 54 touchdowns and 23 interceptions.

Locke is the top returning option for Wisconsin. Last season he made three starts under center, totaling 777 yards, five touchdowns and only one interception. Now a week into fall camp, it seems like he is getting a similar first-team workload to Van Dyke.

"The thing I wanted to do was to make sure they got a similar amount of reps. The good thing offensively is, as much as you're rolling some, even the wideouts, it's not like there's a big difference of what they're going with," Fickell said. "In the spring, sometimes we had a really young offensive line with the twos, and it's hard to evaluate and give you some good looks. So, at least we've got a really good situation where both of them, no matter whether they're with the ones or the twos."

Wisconsin adding Van Dyke from the portal this offseason was viewed as a big splash, but he has 29 touchdowns and 17 interceptions over the last two seasons. Fickell and his staff could be in search of more consistent play at the position.

We have seen coaches play the media like this before and keep their real plans at the quarterback position close to the vest. Ultimately, it seems as if the competition for QB1 is still very real and alive less than a month away from the season.