The ACC quietly has a deep stable of quarterbacks. We have already discussed Devin Leary, Brennan Armstrong and Sam Hartman in our series. Now we need to talk about Miami’s Tyler Van Dyke. Van Dyke burst onto the scene after originally being D’Eriq King’s backup to start the season. An injury to King force Van Dyke to take over the starting role and he found immediate success. New head coach Mario Cristobal walks into a situation where the starting quarterback is already settled. We will focus on Van Dyke’s success in 2021 and where he can improve for 2022 in today’s 99 Things.
Last season was not the year many Miami fans anticipated. The Hurricanes finished 7-5 which resulted in the firing of Manny Diaz. The team struggled in numerous areas on both sides of the ball. One of the lone bright spots was Van Dyke. His first season starting was an absolute success. Van Dyke played in 10 games finishing with 2,931 passing yards and 25 touchdowns. He also only threw six interceptions. He completed 62.3% of his passes and had a QB rating of 160.1. The redshirt freshman gave Miami fans hope for the future because he is on track to be their best quarterback in recent history.
Van Dyke finished the season as well as any other quarterback in the country. The final six game stretch was miraculous. He led the Hurricanes to a 5-1 record while throwing at least three touchdowns in each game. He also passed for more than 300 yards in each of the final six games. Van Dyke was efficient with the ball throwing only three interceptions during the stretch. His season was highlighted with an upset win over ACC champion Pitt. Van Dyke completed 76.2% of his passes while throwing for 426 yards. He added three touchdowns in the game.
Miami will be looking for a new number one receiver in 2022 after the departure of Charleston Rambo. Rambo led the team in receptions (79), receiving yards (1,172) and touchdowns (7). Frank Ladson transferred from Clemson and will bring a wealth of experience to the Hurricane offense. Ladson had limited playing time in 2021 reportedly due to an injury but finished with 281 yards and three touchdowns in 2020. Xavier Restrepo is also expected to play a larger role in the offense. Restrepo finished third on the team in receiving yards last season with 373. He also added two touchdowns to his credit.
The NFL will likely be calling for Van Duke if he continues to improve in his second year starting. His arm talent matches the best quarterbacks in the country. One of his best attributes is his footwork. He has calm feet and does not feel the need to scramble as soon as he starts feeling pressure. The accuracy for Van Dyke will need to improve. He missed on a few key throws last season. He also saw his completion percentage hover around 50% for a few games. Scouts are already projecting Van Dyke as a first round pick.
Miami has not had a signal caller go in the first round in a long time. Van Dyke has the opportunity to break the trend for the Hurricanes. An early season matchup against Texas A&M also has the possibility to vault him up draft boards if he continues to perform well. Cristobal lucked out and has a clear cut QB1. Can Van Dyke perform well enough to help Miami contend in the ACC?
