Wisconsin’s Luke Fickell loses QB Tyler Van Dyke to transfer portal

The 2024 season didn’t go as planned for Wisconsin football, as Luke Fickell and Co. finished just 5-7 in the expanded Big Ten. As a result, Wisconsin’s 22-year streak of bowl eligibility ended as the Badgers finished playing before December.

Now, as Fickell heads into 2025 looking for massive improvements, he will need to find a new starting quarterback after Tyler Van Dyke jumped into the transfer portal on Monday, according to ESPN’s Pete Thamel. Van Dyke still has one year of eligibility left.

Van Dyke was unable to play much for Fickell after suffering a season-ending knee injury in Wisconsin’s third game of the season against Alabama. In just over two complete games, Van Dyke threw for 422 yards and a touchdown.

Van Dyke will be a hot name in the transfer portal for his accomplishments during his time at Miami (FL), where he threw for nearly 7,500 yards and 54 touchdowns in three seasons as a starter. At the end of the 2023 season, Van Dyke generated buzz as a possible NFL draft pick before deciding to enter the portal and head to Wisconsin.

Wisconsin’s season went downhill after Van Dyke’s injury and loss to Alabama, as the Badgers were repeatedly outclassed in conference play with Braedyn Locke at quarterback. Despite all the adversity Wisconsin faced, it still had plenty of chances to maintain its postseason streak.

Wisconsin started November 5-3, but four straight losses to Iowa, Oregon, Nebraska and Minnesota kept them out of contention. The game against the Ducks appears to be a missed opportunity after Wisconsin built a seven-point lead in the fourth quarter against the top team in the country.

As for Van Dyke, his talent and track record in Miami will likely earn him some Power Four looks, although the injury could deter some teams. However, if he returns to 100% next season, he can still be a good addition to a team in need of quarterback.