Tyler Van Dyke's transfer to SMU makes little sense for Mustangs or quarterback

Former Wisconsin and Miami quarterback Tyler Van Dyke has made his transfer portal decision, announcing he'd be heading to SMU next season, according to ESPN.

Van Dyke, a fifth-year senior, headed to Wisconsin last season after starting for parts of three seasons at Miami. He suffered a season-ending injury on the first drive of the Badgers' game against Alabama, and is now heading south to play for Rhett Lashlee, who was his offensive coordinator at Miami.

But this is one of the more head-scratching moves in the transfer portal this season, for both the player involved and the school.

Van Dyke was, at one point, a promising young quarterback with a solid arm. In 2021, he threw for nearly 3,000 yards, with 25 touchdowns and just six interceptions. But by 2023, his stock had fallen considerably, and he ended the season benched in favor of Emory Williams. Even before his injury, things hadn't gone well at Wisconsin; Van Dyke had thrown just one touchdown pass in three games starting for the Badgers, and had racked up just 422 yards passing in that span.

Well, maybe a trip to play under Lashlee at SMU is just what his career needs, right? After all, Lashlee's offense led him to his most productive season; it stands to reason that he'd thrive in Dallas.

That would likely be true, were it not for the fact that SMU have a quarterback already, in sophomore Kevin Jennings. Jennings, who will be entering his junior year for the Mustangs, established himself as the team's starter despite some occasionally inconsistent play. He's a more dynamic presence in the backfield than Van Dyke has ever been, racking up more rushing yards in his single season starting than Van Dyke in his career.

And sure, you want a quarterback who can challenge your starter and push them a bit, but in this particular case, this has three possible outcomes, and none of them are particularly good for Lashlee and SMU.

First, Jennings wins the starting job, and Van Dyke burns what I think would be his last year of eligibility sitting on the bench behind Jennings. If that happens, then why did you bother paying for Van Dyke to come to Dallas?

Second, Van Dyke beats out Jennings for the starting job, and thrives. Well, now you've lost a quarterback with a proven (if somewhat chaotic) track record of success, who has more eligibility remaining than Van Dyke, and he's likely going to hit the portal at the first opportunity, which leaves you scrambling for the following season.

Third, Lashlee flip flops on his quarterbacks like he did at the start of this season, cycling between Jennings and Van Dyke for the first few games, not allowing either one to get into a rhythm and possibly setting you up for an ugly loss or two.

I'm not saying that bringing in a veteran backup is a bad idea; you want stability at quarterback and Van Dyke can provide that, assuming he knows what his role's going to be.

But if you're planning to open this up to a real, actual competition to be the starter, you run the risk of disrupting what worked for you last season at a time when continued, lasting success is going to be crucial for your program moving forward.

Ultimately, it's a risky move that might blow up in SMU's face.

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