Could Tyler Van Dyke Transfer Before Playing a Snap?

Tyler Van Dyke transferred to Wisconsin this winter from Miami (FL). He brought along an impressive resume with years of starting experience. It seemed like a pretty straightforward path to being the Badgers starting quarterback, until it wasn't.

Last year's backup for the Badgers Braedyn Locke has come on strong this spring and has impressed the coaching staff. It seemed like he would be given a shot to compete for QB1, but really a lot of fans and maybe coaches had made up their mind that Van Dyke would assume the role. So far the competition has been anything but a formailty and Locke has a real chance to win the job. So where does that leave Van Dyke?

Think about this from his perspective, he has one year left in his eligibility and he needs to make the most of it. So say that over the next few weeks Van Dyke feels Locke is making this a closer race than he's comfortable with, could he leave the Badgers without ever playing a snap?

The answer is, yes he absolutely could. If he will is another matter. Based on new rules, there's nothing preventing him from putting his name into the portal tomorrow. Coach Fickell spoke about the job each quarterback is doing recently and mentioned it's been hard for Van Dyke trying to come in and learn a new system. He added he still needs to see more from both of them as practice progresses.

It would be a shock to the system if Van Dyke leaves before ever taking a snap in Madison. On one hand, it means Locke has shown enough to deserve the job, and fans should feel good about that. On the other hand, it would be blow to the depth chart after losing quarterback Nick Evers to the portal just last week.

The odds of this happening are low, but certainly not zero. It will be something worth keeping an eye on.