The Wisconsin Badgers are preparing for the Saturday matchup with the #13 USC Trojans. Wisconsin will be on the road against USC, but the Badgers will be starting Braedyn Locke for the rest of the 2024 season at quarterback.
Tyler Van Dyke tore his ACL in Week 3 against the #4 Alabama Crimson Tide in a 42-10 loss at home. The Badgers are 2-1 on the season and without Van Dyke, they will need Locke to step up for them.
Wisconsin Badgers Leaving the Door Open For Tyler Van Dyke To Return In 2025
Tyler Van Dyke underwent surgery for his torn ACL on Monday. It is too early to know if the former Miami Hurricanes quarterback will apply for the medical redshirt and return for the 2025 season. Head coach Luke Fickell spoke to reporters on Monday about leaving the door open for him. Fickell said:
“We haven’t sat and talked with him [Van Dyke] yet. Obviously, there’s been a lot of things that have happened really fast… I think guys have to be able to process themselves… And then we’ll sit down and definitely talk with Tyler… But I know this, we love Tyler, and we love what he’s done, and hopefully, if there’s an opportunity where he wants to come back, that we would have that chance. “We put a plan in place for that, and that’s the way we’ll go about it, with his rehab and making sure that he is in our thoughts because he had surgery [on his torn ACL] today, but he’ll be in our plans as well.”
Before he got hurt, Van Dyke completed 63.2% of his passes for 422 yards and one touchdown and zero interceptions. He also rushed for 26 yards on 15 carries and one touchdown, along with averaging 1.7 yards per carry.
Braedyn Locke Has a Chance To Shine
If Locke plays well in place of Van Dyke, it might be hard for the Wisconsin Badgers to bring back Tyler Van Dyke in 2025. Even if Braedyn Locke doesn’t play well, head coach Luke Fickell might look at the transfer portal for a quarterback for the 2025 season.
Locke is a sophomore. He has completed 50.0% of his passes for 125 yards one touchdown and zero interceptions so far this season. Braedyn Locke has room to grow as a quarterback. However, it will be interesting to see if Van Dyke returned next season to the Badgers or not.
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