Wisconsin Football Coach Remains Tight-Lipped on Starting QB Decision

Luke Fickell has yet to name a starting quarterback for the Wisconsin Badgers after the first week of fall camp, but it sounds like the coaching staff is getting much closer to making that choice.

By the time the Badgers wrap up its two-week stint at UW-Platteville and head back to Madison, odds are it'll be clear who the QB1 will be.

"We want to get something into place sooner rather than later, just because I think the continuity of everything is really important," Fickell told reporters . "We'll probably go through at least the next few days before we jump to any conclusions and start kind of shifting the thing."

During the offseason, redshirt senior Tyler Van Dyke was brought in via the transfer portal to provide Wisconsin with an experienced option at QB. The 6-foot-4 signal caller is coming off an up-and-down season at Miami, where he threw for 2,703 yards and 19 touchdowns with 12 interceptions.

Van Dyke has competed with redshirt sophomore Braedyn Locke for a spot with the first-team offense since he arrived this spring. Locke joined the program as a transfer last offseason and spent the year backing up Tanner Mordecai, who went down with an injury in October. Locke threw for 777 yards with five touchdowns and an interception in five games.

Offensive coordinator Phil Longo has given both QBs an even amount of reps to this point, and it's clear there is a sizable gap between them and freshman Mabrey Mettauer, running with the third team, and Cole LaCrue, who missed the spring while working his way back from injury.

"The thing I wanted to do today was to make sure they got a similar amount of reps," Fickell said. "The good thing offensively is, as much as you're rolling some, even the wideouts, it's not like there's a big difference of what they're going with. "In the spring, sometimes we had a really young offensive line with the twos, and it's hard to evaluate and give you some good looks. So, at least we've got a really good situation where both of them, no matter whether they're with the ones or the twos."

Why it matters: I appreciate that the Badgers coaching staff has treated this QB competition as a meritocracy from the start. As much as you'd like to have your starter from day one, Wisconsin football is in a much better place from a depth standpoint than a year ago. It feels like this staff has two guys they think can win games if forced into action.

That said, the first game of the season is on August 30, and when this team returns to campus, you need to have your starting QB picked so you can begin prepping for Western Michigan.

The big picture: On more than one occasion, Coach Fickell has inferred that Van Dyke is who the staff expected to settle in and ultimately win the job on the field. That's not exactly breaking news considering Van Dyke has started 28 career games and was a sought-after QB in the portal. Given his arm strength and ability to push the ball downfield, Van Dyke offers far more upside, so it feels like he'll be the Badgers guy enough.

Locke pushing for the job and making this a true competition is also encouraging. So much of playing QB is between the ears, and if there are a few things we know about Locke, it's that he has a high football IQ and knows Longo's system inside and out. Ideally, you'd like to see him continue to develop and assert himself as the clear-cut option next year so the program doesn't have to dip into the portal again at QB.

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