CORAL GABLES, Fla. —Tyler Van Dyke was a bright spot for the Hurricanes in an otherwise tumultuous 2021 season.
In his second year on campus, the Connecticut native threw for 2,931 yards and tossed 25 touchdown passes en route to winning ACC Offensive Rookie of the Year and Rookie of the Year.
Although first-year Miami coach Mario Cristobal hasn’t had the chance to manage Van Dyke in a game yet, Cristobal, who coached NFL standout Justin Herbert at Oregon, has identified his quarterback as another star.
“This guy,” Cristobal said, “he’s special.”
Van Dyke has already earned national recognition for his talent. He is considered a potential first-round pick in the 2023 NFL draft, and he’s been named to the watch lists for the Davey O’Brien Award, Maxwell Award, the Manning Award and the College Football Performance Awards’ National Performer of the Year Trophy.
Between the end of his rookie campaign and the start of this season, Van Dyke said he got better at recognizing defenses.
“I would just say understanding what the defense is doing,” Van Dyke said. “Really, finding the blitzes and checking, making sure I’m protected, understanding where they’re rotating [and] where I have to go with the football.”
That improvement could help UM’s star take another step forward this season. Last year, Van Dyke had an 81.2 passing grade and an 82.7 offensive grade from Pro Football Focus when he stayed in a clean pocket. Those numbers dropped to 45.9 for passing and 52.0 for overall offense when under pressure. Those scores ranked 89th and 64th in the nation, respectively, out of 144 quarterbacks with at least 50 dropbacks last season (Van Dyke did earn a 72.6 run grade under pressure, which was 18th in the nation).
“Not every quarterback understands protections and what comes with it, and how to get yourself in a good one and out of a bad one. ... He does,” Cristobal said. “He understands leverage. He understands disguised coverages. He’s really good — really, really good — pre- to post-snap overage and being able to make a decision.”
Jake Garcia, who will likely be Van Dyke’s backup on Miami’s season-opening depth chart, said Van Dyke has also shown that he can be a leader for the Hurricanes.
“Last year he showed that he was a leader, right?” Garcia said. “And I think this year he’s coming back and reestablishing that he is a leader.”
Of course, quarterbacks don’t play in a vacuum. They can be helped or hurt by their teammates’ performances.
Cristobal said Van Dyke has sharpened his skills by going up against an improved Miami defense in practice. However, Miami’s top wide receivers from 2021 — Mike Harley Jr. and Charleston Rambo — departed for the NFL, leaving a void that the Hurricanes’ returning receivers will have to fill if Van Dyke is to live up to his potential.
“I think he’s going against a defense that can cover well and that could pressure on the quarterback,” Cristobal said.
“And you lost your two most productive playmakers, right, in terms of from a receiver standpoint, if I’m correct. ... Those guys, you watch there’s a lot of third-and-long, go-up-and-make-a-play. We need to find that. We have to find that, all right? You come to Miami, you have to have the want-to, the ability to make that happen, and we’re still trying to find where that is.”
Another challenge for the returning quarterback is adjusting to a new offense under offensive coordinator Josh Gattis. He won the Broyles Award last year by helping lead Michigan’s offense as the Wolverines reached the College Football Playoff. But Gattis’ offense last year was run-first, as the Wolverines ran the ball 575 times and passed 395 times.
With Van Dyke as the signal-caller — and the Hurricanes’ halfback depth dampened by injuries — the passing game looks like it can be a strength for the Hurricanes. Van Dyke has learned Gattis’ offense quickly, Cristobal said, and prepared himself for the coming season.
“Whenever you’re a quarterback and you take on a new system, right, it does take some time,” Cristobal said. “He has accelerated that time and has done really well. And he understands ball.
