After the graduation of former Wisconsin football starting quarterback Tanner Mordecai, a new face has emerged as the leader of the offense.
Quarterback Tyler Van Dyke, a fifth-year player who previously started for the Miami Hurricanes, entered the transfer portal early this off-season. Van Dyke struggled with Miami and never quite reached his potential, nor did the Hurricanes. With a change of scenery, the major question surrounding Van Dyke is whether or not he can improve upon what he has previously accomplished.
Wisconsin Football Quarterback Tyler Van Dyke Hoping to Put Everything Together
After an interesting career down in Florida, an accomplished quarterback now travels up to Madison, Wisconsin in hopes of turning his career around. Former Miami quarterback Tyler Van Dyke once showed plenty of promise before his production took a great turn for the worse.
Van Dyke began collegiate career in 2021 after taking a red-shirt season in 2020 and put together his best collegiate season. Miami finished 7-5, but opted out of their scheduled bowl game due to fear of a COVID-19 outbreak and ended their season early. The next year, Head Coach Manny Diaz would leave and Mario Cristobal would take over, which turned out to be a move that would hamper the success of Van Dyke.
Miami went from an open, air raid style of play to a more conventional, pro style offense that has not produced great results the past two seasons. Van Dyke has recorded 29 touchdowns the past two years, four more than he did in 2021 alone under Diaz. As the quarterback struggled on the field in his new system, Cristobal searched for answers and made plenty of changes to the starting lineup on offense and defense.
Van Dyke has spent portions of the past two seasons as the back-up quarterback following back-to-back losses and bad offensive performances. The Wisconsin football staff believes the managing of his situation led to his inconsistent play on the field.
Can the Wisconsin Badgers Football Staff Turn Van Dyke Around?
For the Wisconsin football staff, the recruitment and eventually commitment of Van Dyke was contingent on the quarterback improving his play. The Badgers were quick to point fingers after the commitment of Van Dyke, stating his previous struggles were due to the struggles of the Miami football staff, not the quarterback. Wisconsin plans on proving their point when Van Dyke helps lead the team to a competitive finish during this upcoming season.
The real question, however, is not if Miami truly did a bad job with their offense but rather if Van Dyke is actually as good as talent evaluators believe.
In 2021, Van Dyke recorded nearly 3000 yards through the air while adding 25 touchdowns and a passer rating of 160.1. 2021 was easily the best season for Van Dyke despite having the worst offensive line of his career in front of him. Wisconsin believes with a better offensive scheme and group of players in front of the quarterback in Madison, Van Dyke can truly shine.
Limiting Turnovers, Making Easy Reads Crucial to Success for Van Dyke
Whether the scheme was an issue or the talent surrounding Van Dyke, there is no excuse for the turnovers the quarterbacks allowed. Van Dyke was only sacked ten times last season, the least during his three-year tenure as the starter, but threw a career-high 12 interceptions. The quarterback was not behind a bad offensive line nor did he face heavy pressure, but rather he fell victim to making bad reads.
Turnovers greatly slowed down the production of both the Hurricanes and Van Dyke, which in part led to their 7-6 record last season. In order for Van Dyke to really turn things around and display his full potential this season, the quarterback needs to take what is given to him. Often when behind, Van Dyke would force the football which led to interceptions rather than hammering what the defense is allowing.
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