The Wisconsin football staff has been closely monitoring the ongoing quarterback battle as camp begins to ramp up for the players.
Quarterbacks Tyler Van Dyke and Braedyn Locke have begun truly battling for the elusive starting quarterback position this upcoming season. There can only be one, and it is between the returning starter for half of the season last year in Locke, or the newcomer Van Dyke. Wisconsin football Head Coach Luke Fickell briefly broke down the battle and stated that is still going to take some time before a decision is made.
Wisconsin Football Quarterbacks Braedyn Locke, Tyler Van Dyke Competing Against Each other
One of the major topics of conversation surrounding the Wisconsin football camp has been the quarterback competition developing. Quarterbacks Tyler Van Dyke and Braedyn Locke are competing against each other for the lone starting position, which is something that Offensive Coordinator Phil Longo recently revealed.
Head Coach Luke Fickell was asked about the ongoing competition right off the bat during media availability, and when asked who is leading, Fickell stated “I’m going to hold on that.” Fickell added, “I think I said before we want to get something is place sooner than later because of continuity.”
Fickell stated that the Wisconsin football staff is going to need to take their time over the next few days before thinking about a decision. The focus for the Wisconsin football staff at the moment is giving each player equals repetitions and the same opportunities in live drills.
Which Quarterback Will Lead the Wisconsin Badgers Football Offense?
The battle between Van Dyke and Locke is certainly real, and could become rather interesting shortly as the two battle it out. Locke is the returning man, and the Wisconsin staff is not fully prepared to just relinquish him from the starting position. Locke may not have had the best showing last season, but he was also thrusted into the starting lineup suddenly due to an injury.
Van Dyke, on the other hand, has plenty of starting experience with three seasons under his belt leading the Miami Hurricanes. The quarterback threw for 54 touchdowns and 23 interceptions during his time as the starter for the Hurricanes, but Miami never quite reached their expectations along with Van Dyke. The quarterback experienced a flurry of adversity during his time in Miami, between three different coordinators, a slew of injuries, and also poor decision making from coaching staff.
Most notably, Van Dyke was a part of the debacle against Georgia Tech where Miami could have kneeled to end the game with 40 seconds left. Instead, Miami elected to continue to run their offense and turned the ball over, leading to a Georgia Tech score and win. Van Dyke has now found a change of scenery, but will have to make it through Locke before getting to touch the field.
How Long Can the Competition Last For Moving Forward?
While Fickell admitted that the competition is under way and is still rather far away from a conclusion, the Head Coach was also not clear how long it may take. Currently, the goal the staff has created involves getting both quarterbacks equal looks and practice in the same scenarios with the same players.
Each quarterback has received opportunities with both the starters and the backups on offense to get a feel for the wide array of abilities. While the quarterback battle is the most publicized, Fickell made it clear that nobody has a guaranteed spot and virtually everyone position is open for the player who performs best.
While these position battles are just getting underway, it will likely take another week for the battles to sort themselves out.
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