Is Tyler Van Dyke better than Tanner Mordecai?
It's the new trend in college football to find your starting QB in the transfer portal. For the second straight offseason, Wisconsin's top signal-caller will be playing their first season in Madison. Miami (FL) transfer Tyler Van Dyke enters with vast experience, but is he an upgrade?
This time last offseason, people were questioning whether or not SMU transfer Tanner Mordecai could transition into the Big Ten. Now the question is what the expectations should be for Van Dyke with the Badgers, but what is the difference between the two?
Comparison: Tyler Van Dyke vs. Tanner Mordecai
Tyler Van Dyke | Tanner Mordecai | |
|---|---|---|
Team/Conferece | ACC | AAC |
Passing Yards/start | 266.8 | 298.0 |
TD:INT Ratio | 2.4 | 3.3 |
Height/Weight | 6'4"/230 pounds | 6'2"/218 pounds |
Age | 23 | 23.5 |
Career rushing yards | 32 | 304 |
With offensive coordinator Phil Longo calling plays, expectations were relatively high for Tanner Mordecai last season. He was a prolific passer through two seasons at SMU. The American Athletic Conference (AAC) is a little different than the Big Ten, but he never seemed to find a rhythm with the Badgers. He battled injuries throughout the year, but his 127.1 QB rating was the worst mark of his career.
Heading into the 2024 season, Wisconsin returns its top two receivers from a season ago. Will Pauling (837 yards) and Byrson Green (480 yards) will look to improve the passing attack this season with a new quarterback slinging the rock.
Realistic expectations for Tyler Van Dyke
Van Dyke had an up-and-down career in Coral Gables, Florida with the Hurricanes. He had an impressive redshirt freshman season with 25 touchdowns and only six interceptions. Many people thought he could make a run at being a first-round pick the following year, but he struggled to live up to the hype with only 10 touchdowns and five interceptions.
He improved his stock in 2023 with a bounce-back year, but there are still questions of whether or not he can get back to his 2021 form. Wisconsin still lacks a true game-breaking playmaker at the WR position, but returning their top two options from a season ago will help.
The No. 12-ranked QB in the transfer portal according to On3, Van Dyke will help Coach Fickell and his staff continue to implement their system, but there is still a clear ceiling on this offense, due to a lot more than just the quarterback position.
TONY LIEBERT