Wisconsin quarterback Tyler Van Dyke will miss the remainder of the 2024 season due to the right knee injury he sustained in Saturday’s loss to Alabama, Madison.com reports. An MRI confirmed, per ESPN’s Pete Thamel, that Van Dyke suffered a complete tear of his ACL. He does not yet have a timeline for recovery, and whether he will apply for a medical redshirt remains to be determined. This is the redshirt senior’s final year of eligibility.
Van Dyke left the contest approximately five minutes into the first quarter on a run to the sideline. The Badgers ruled him out for the remainder of the contest after he left the field, entered the medical tent and went into the locker room on a cart. He did not put any weight on his right leg. Backup quarterback Braedyn Locke entered the game as his replacement and guided the Badgers to a field goal to conclude their opening possession, but he ultimately came out on the losing end of the 42-14 rout.
“It was clear that Tyler Van Dyke was in so much pain leaving that tent, having a hard time keeping his balance,” sideline reporter Jenny Taft said on the FOX broadcast. “It was that right knee. He’s heading to the locker room for further evaluation and imaging. But he was pretty beside himself in the moment.”
Van Dyke arrived at Wisconsin this offseason as a transfer from Miami and won the starting job over Locke, who is in his second season with the Badgers after a transfer of his own from Mississippi State. Locke started three games in 2023.
Wisconsin coach Luke Fickell won the recruiting battle for Van Dyke, who ranked as the No. 17 quarterback in the 2024 transfer cycle and was the No. 113 player in the portal overall. The longtime starter completed 38-of-63 passes for the Badgers over his first two games with the program and led the team to a 2-0 start. He tallied 406 yards and a touchdown with an additional score on the ground over those starts.
“We’ll get a little more clarity, hopefully here soon, get an MRI and things like that,” Fickell said in his postgame media availability. “I don’t think it looks good for us, or for him. That’s really, really difficult, because I think he was really well prepared, had grown the first few weeks, and was really sharp to start that game.”
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Locke, meanwhile, was the No. 28 quarterback and No. 380 player in the 2023 transfer cycle. His three starts last season came across five total appearances. He became the first Badger freshman quarterback to post two 240-yard passing performances and finished the year at 76-for-152 with 777 yards and five touchdowns to just one interception.
