Wisconsin OC Gives Unexpected Update On Team's QB Battle

It sounds like Tyler Van Dyke might not be 100% locked in as Wisconsin's starting QB.

The former Miami passer transferred to the Badgers after last season, and the expectation has been from the jump that he'll be QB1 when week one gets here.

However, Braedyn Locke, who started a few games last season, had an impressive spring and is giving TVD everything he can handle.

Yet, it appeared ahead of camp starting that TVD had done enough to lock up the starting job. Head coach Luke Fickell pretty much said as much during an interview with OutKick's Dan Dakich and during Big Ten Media Days.

Wisconsin OC Phil Longo pours praise on Tyler Van Dyke and Braedyn Locke.

Well, we might have to tap the brakes on declaring the QB battle over, judging from some comments Phil Longo made this week.

Longo said the following, in part, when breaking down the situation:

"It's a competition. It's not like...Is there anything other than a close competition? These guys are battling right and I think the advantage Braedyn has is he has a year under his belt and huge working knowledge and he is twice the player that he was last year. I just said that in the staff meeting the other day. He has vastly improved the things that he needed to do from last year and I'm excited about watching them in camp. And then Tyler came in and went through the same learning curve that Tanner Mordecai and Braedyn had to go through last year. The difference is though we have so many people now, so many players in these rooms that know everything and so the learning curve this year for the new guys is not what it was last year."

Longo also praised TVD for having a "huge arm" that allows him to make some throws a bit later than Locke can.

You can watch his full comments in the video below starting around 6:00, and let me know your thoughts at David.Hookstead@outkick.com.

It certainly doesn't sound like the QB battle is over just yet, judging from Longo's remarks. It sounds like to me Locke could still make a play for the starting role.

What is clear is that the staff seems very happy with either option. Fickell told Dakich the following about Van Dyke's development since getting to Madison:

"Since he's been here - his ability to train - he's a different looking kid from when he walked in the door. The way he ran six, seven, eight months ago to the way he runs right now is completely different."

Now, we have Longo pouring praise on both of them and talking about how it's a true competition. Remember, all signs indicated in spring that Locke had played at a more consistent and impressive level. However, that was several months back, and I have no doubt both have continued to put in the work.

Tyler Van Dyke appears to be leading Wisconsin's QB battle. (Credit: Mark Stewart / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK)

The season is just a few weeks away, and while I expect Tyler Van Dyke to take the first snaps of the season, I won't be surprised at all if Locke also gets some playing time. Let me know what you think at David.Hookstead@outkick.com.