4 takeaways from Wisconsin's spring practice: QB Tyler Van Dyke has another solid practice

MADISON – Wisconsin held its 11th practice of the spring Tuesday morning inside the McClain Center.

Head coach Luke Fickell, whose team has four more scheduled practices, met with reporters afterward.

Here are highlights/observations from the practice:

Wisconsin quarterbacks Tyler Van Dyke and Braedyn Locke continue to battle for the starting job

Miami transfer Tyler Van Dyke put together another solid practice Tuesday and it appears he is growing more comfortable in Phil Longo’s offense.

“For him to be where he is at right now,” Fickell said of Van Dyke, “I think we’re in a really good place.”

Van Dyke, who has cut down on the number of balls put into harm’s way, had two impressive deep throws Tuesday.

One went to tight end Riley Nowakowski down the left sideline. The other went to wide receiver Bryson Green along the right sideline.

Safety Austin Brown had tight coverage on Green but the wide receiver located the ball first and went up high to make an impressive, two-handed catch.

Braedyn Locke, who started three games last season, didn’t back down.

During one 11-on-11 sequence, he hit wide receiver CJ Williams for a long gain down the right sideline. On the next play, he zipped a pass into a tight window over the middle to Quincy Burroughs for a touchdown.

Locke also threw a gorgeous deep ball to Will Pauling, who got behind two defenders for what would have been a long touchdown in a game.

“The great thing about it is,” Fickell said, “Braedyn is not making it easy on him. Because he does know the offense extremely well. He is playing really consistent and he is making some plays.

“The best thing for us is to have a legitimate, competitive battle.”

Freshman offensive lineman Colin Cubberly is versatile

AJ Blazek, in is first year as UW’s offensive line coach, continues to look for players who can fill in at multiple spots.

Enter freshman Colin Cubberly.

The 6-foot-6, 316-pound Cubberly before Tuesday had gotten work at center with the No. 3 line and at left guard with the No. 2 line.

On Tuesday he expanded his résumé to include working at right tackle and right guard with the second unit.

“He played tackle in high school so he has the feel,” Fickell said. “I don’t know that that is his natural position (here). But when we went into spring I thought the biggest issue we were going to have was the depth on the offensive line because we lost a lot of guys.

“It shows his versatility, not only athletically and physically, but even mentally. To me, if you ask one thing about an offensive lineman, as long as they’ve got the right things between the ears and can handle some of that, their future is really bright.”

CJ West, defensive lineman from Kent State, visits UW

The Badgers are looking for help along both lines and the staff on Tuesday hosted former Kent State defensive lineman CJ West.

West, 6-2 and 315, played four seasons at Kent State. He enjoyed his best season in 2023 by recording 50 tackles, including seven for loss.

West reportedly holds offers from Michigan, Texas A&M, Miami, LSU, Colorado, Arkansas, California, Kansas State and others.

More: Vanderbilt offensive lineman announces he plans to transfer to Wisconsin

Reserve safety Preston Zachman recovering from hip injury

One of the players out this spring while recovering from injury is reserve safety Preston Zachman, who will be a fifth-year senior next season.

Zachman last season finished sixth on the team in tackles (49) and tied for second in interceptions (two).

He expects to be ready for preseason camp, set to open in late July or early August.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Wisconsin transfer QB Tyler Van Dyke appearing more comfortable