Wisconsin QB Tyler Van Dyke Leaves Game With Knee Injury

Wisconsin quarterback Tyler Van Dyke (10) is helped off the field during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Alabama, in Madison, Wis., on Sept. 14, 2024. AP Photo/Morry Gash

Wisconsin’s starting quarterback Tyler Van Dyke left Saturday’s game against Alabama with an apparent right knee injury.

Van Dyke’s early exit came in the first quarter of the game after a scramble along the sideline, where his knee appeared to buckle awkwardly after being tackled by an Alabama defender. After he went down, Van Dyke was seen holding his knee and grimacing in pain.

Moments later, Van Dyke was carried to the medical tent and then carted to the locker room. He was later spotted on crutches with his right leg in a brace as he stood on the sideline during Wisconsin’s 42–10 defeat.

“We’ll get a little more clarity hopefully here soon, get an MRI and things like that,” Wisconsin head coach Luke Fickell said in his postgame press conference. “I don’t think it looks real good for us, for him.”

Van Dyke’s injury is disheartening for Wisconsin, which had high hopes for their new quarterback. The 6-foot-4, 224-pound signal-caller had transferred from Miami after an injury-riddled 2022 season.

In his first two games with the Badgers, Van Dyke had shown flashes of his potential, completing 60.3 percent of his passes for 406 yards, one touchdown, and no interceptions while leading Wisconsin to victories over Western Michigan and South Dakota, according to ESPN stats.

On Saturday, Van Dyke had started strong, completing his first five pass attempts for 16 yards before his injury cut his day short. His exit paved the way for backup quarterback Braedyn Locke, who replaced Van Dyke for the remainder of the game.

Van Dyke’s injury marks another chapter in a career marred by physical setbacks. During his time at Miami, he suffered a third-degree AC joint sprain in his right shoulder and a rare right knee lesion in 2022, and missed parts of six games due to various injuries.

His decision to transfer to Wisconsin was seen as a fresh start, one where he hoped to recapture the form that earned him ACC Rookie of the Year honors in 2021.

“I think he was really well prepared and I think that he had grown in those first few weeks and was really sharp to start that game,” Fickell said at the postgame presser, according to The Athletic.

Wisconsin will have a week off before facing a road game against No. 11 University of South Carolina on Sept. 28.