Why did Tyler Van Dyke transfer to Wisconsin? Exploring potential reasons behind the former Miami star's exit

Tyler Van Dyke announced his transfer to Wisconsin in December after spending four years at Miami. The quarterback was a three-year starter with the Hurricanes before deciding to jump ship and have a new beginning at the end of the 2023 college football season.

Van Dyke faced the challenge of playing under different offensive coordinators in each of his last three seasons at Miami. His most successful campaign came in 2021, when Rhett Lashlee was calling the plays, and his performance earned him the ACC Rookie of the Year.

The 2022 and 2023 seasons didn't go well for Tyler Van Dyke as he struggled significantly in leading the offense. He threw for less than 2,000 yards in both seasons despite playing 19 games.

He would go on to lose his starting job to Emory Williams in the late part of the 2023 season, making it evident that he needed a new challenge to revive his career. The earlier challenges and uncertainty regarding the starting role possibly pushed Tyler Van Dyke toward exiting Miami at the end of the regular season.

“I think it was time,” Van Dyke said during the spring camp. “I had a lot of ups and downs at Miami. I think coming here’s a really good fresh start, especially with someone like coach Longo.”

Van Dyke on the route to recapture his 2021 form

Recapturing his 2021 form was the goal for Tyler Van Dyke after moving to Wisconsin. He threw for 2,931 yards and 25 touchdowns that season, creating a lot of anticipation for the coming season. However, he didn't live up to the billing.

With Phil Longo as the Badgers' offensive coordinator and quarterback coach, Wisconsin was going to play an offense Van Dyke is used to and has thrived in. This meant that the transfer made a lot of sense.

“Learning a new offense, it’s old hat for him because he’s so used to doing it,” Longo said. “He’s done a really, really good job in a very short amount of time of understanding and learning the terminology and understanding how we run everything.”

Starting job wasn’t a walk in the park for Tyler Van Dyke

Tyler Van Dyke had to compete with last season's backup option Braedyn Locke, who started three games in the absence of Tanner Mordecai. However, he was handed the role at the fall camp.

“As Fick says, we kind of see it as a 1A and a 1B type of situation right now as opposed to a 1 and a 2," Longo said. "That's how well Braedyn has done here in camp. But as of right now, Tyler Van Dyke is our starter.”

In his first two games with the Badgers, Van Dyke threw for 406 yards and a touchdown, showing some glimpses of settling down well in the offense. He will hope to continue getting better as the season progresses.