Alabama WR Germie Bernard tells ESPN he’ll return in ’25

Alabama receiver Germie Bernard, who led the team in catches in 2024, will return to the Crimson Tide in 2025, he told ESPN’s Pete Thamel on Wednesday.

The 6-foot-1, 209-pound receiver considered entering the NFL draft, but the allure of graduating and a belief in what’s being built at Alabama led to his decision to stay.

Bernard told ESPN he knows “the people coming back and the newcomers coming in” and is looking forward to being a leader for the Tide next season.

Alabama failed to qualify for the College Football Playoff and then struggled offensively in a 19-13 lossto Michigan last month in the ReliaQuest Bowl.

“I think we’ll make it really far this year,” Bernard said of next season’s prospects.

Bernard transferred to Alabama from Washingtonon the heels of Kalen DeBoer’s move to Tuscaloosa after Nick Saban retired.

Bernard was first on the team with 50 receptions, and second in receiving yards (794) and receiving touchdowns (2) this season behind star freshman Ryan Williams.

Ex-Wisconsin/Miami QB Tyler Van Dyke to transfer to SMU

Former Wisconsin/Miami quarterback Tyler Van Dyke has committed to SMU, agent Shawn O’Dare of Rosenhaus Sports announced Wednesday.

The fifth-year quarterback entered the transfer portal after appearing in three games this fall during his debut season with the Badgers before sustaining a season-ending injury against Alabama on Sept. 14.

Van Dyke, a three-year starter at Miami from 2021 to 2023, has 7,891 career passing yards and 55 career touchdown passes and has one year of eligibility remaining. He was ranked by ESPN as the 25th-best quarterback in the transfer portal.

His best season with the Hurricanes came in 2021, when current SMU coach Rhett Lashlee was the offensive coordinator at Miami. Van Dyke was ACC rookie of the year as a redshirt freshman that season, taking over for injured D’Eriq King and throwing for 2,931 yards with 25 touchdowns and six interceptions.

With 33 career games played, the 6-foot-4, 225-pound passer was one of the most experienced quarterbacks available in the 2024 portal cycle.

SMU is set to return Kevin Jennings as the starting quarterback after a breakthrough season in 2024. He emerged as the starter following Week 3, leading the Mustangs to their first ACC championship game appearance and a spot in the College Football Playoff. SMU lost both games, as Jennings struggled in a 38-10 loss at Penn State in the first round — throwing three first-half interceptions (two were returned for touchdowns).

With veteran Preston Stone transferring to Northwestern, SMU needed another quarterback to add to the mix. Now, Van Dyke enters a position group where he will be coached by none other than King, his former Miami teammate who is now SMU’s quarterbacks coach.

Benched in his final season at Miami in 2023, Van Dyke arrived at Wisconsin last offseason and was named the Badgers’ starting quarterback on Aug. 14 after a camp competition with sophomore Braedyn Locke.

Van Dyke completed 43 of 68 passes for 422 yards and a touchdown in three starts to open the 2024 season for the Badgers, but he was sidelined for the rest of the season after sustaining a knee injury on the opening drive of Wisconsin’s 42-10 loss to Alabama in Week 3.

The 2025 season will mark Van Dyke’s sixth in college football. After bursting onto the scene with the Hurricanes in 2021, his next two seasons at Miami were marred by injury and turnover struggles. In 2023, Van Dyke threw a career-high 12 interceptions and was benched in favor of backup Emory Williams before regaining the starting role after Williams sustained a season-ending injury.