The Wisconsin Badgers football team was dealt yet another transfer blow on Wednesday afternoon. Tyler Van Dyke, the Badgers’ starting quarterback for three games in 2024, has committed to play for the SMU Mustangs in the 2025 season. Van Dyke’s agent, Shawn O’Dare of Rosenhaus Sports, made the announcement to CBS Sports and 247 Sports.
Former Miami and Wisconsin star QB Tyler Van Dyke has committed to SMU, his agent @ShawnODare tells @CBSSports/@247Sports.
Has career totals of 7,900 passing yards and 58 touchdowns.https://t.co/FZ3wpvnrqQ pic.twitter.com/mJXHbjgTPn
— Matt Zenitz (@mzenitz) January 8, 2025
Van Dyke, in his lone season with the Badgers, went 2-0 over his two full games as a starter before tearing his ACL in the first quarter of Wisconsin’s 42-10 loss to the Alabama Crimson Tide. Van Dyke completed 63.2% of his passes for the Badgers, throwing 1 touchdown and 0 interceptions. He also ran for 26 yards and a touchdown before his injury. Braedyn Locke replaced Van Dyke as the starter for the remainder of the season, leading the Badgers to a 5-7 record.
Van Dyke’s move to SMU is a return to the ACC for the quarterback. He spent the first four years of his collegiate career with the Miami Hurricanes. After redshirting his freshman year, Van Dyke started 29 games for the Miami Hurricanes, going 15-14 and throwing for 7,469 yards, 55 touchdowns, and 23 interceptions. The 2025 season will be Van Dyke’s final year of collegiate eligibility.
Van Dyke is expected to serve as a backup to incumbent SMU Mustangs starter Kevin Jennings, who led the Mustangs to an 11-3 record and an appearance in the College Football Playoff.
Transfer Portal Exodus
Tyler Van Dyke’s move is yet another in long line of transfer portal losses suffered by the Badgers this winter. 25 members of the 2024 Wisconsin Badgers football team have announced their intentions to transfer, with 17 of them already landing on new teams.
Among the Badgers’ 2025 exodus were Van Dyke’s post-injury replacement Braedyn Locke, now on his way to the Arizona Wildcats, and 2024 recruit Mabrey Metteauer, who recently announced his commitment to the Sam Houston Wildkats. With Van Dyke joining the rank of exiting quarterbacks, the Badgers only have one quarterback from the 2024 roster committed to play for them in 2025, walk-on Milos Spasojevic.
Wisconsin Badgers Football 2025 Outlook
After a disappointing 2024 season, where the Badgers finished 3-6 in Big Ten play and missed out on a bowl invitation for the first time since 2021, head coach Luke Fickell and the team are looking ahead to 2025. After replacing offensive coordinator Phil Longo with former Kansas offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes, the team turned to the transfer portal to find their starting quarterback for the 2025 season.
Two quarterbacks have joined the Badgers through the portal. Danny O’Neil committed to play with the Badgers on December 16. A native of Indianapolis, Indiana, O’Neil spent 2024 with the San Diego State Aztecs, where he started 11 games and threw for 2,181 yards and 12 touchdowns. The Aztecs went 3-8 with O’Neil as the starter.
Billy Edwards Jr. will also join the Badgers by way of the Maryland Terrapins. After a redshirted 2021 season with the Wake Forest Demon Deacons, Edwards spent three years with the Terrapins. Earning the starting gig for 2024, Edwards went 4-7 as the starter, amassing 2,881 yards and 15 touchdowns. Edwards Jr is expected to compete with O’Neil for the starting job this fall.
One more quarterback will join the team from the incoming class of 2025 as well. Carter Smith, a four-star recruit and ESPN’s 157th-ranked prospect, signed his letter of intent on December 4.
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