What new Miami standout Georgia CB transfer Tyrique Stevenson just did wearing slides
Tyrique Stevenson, the Miami native and former Georgia Bulldogs defensive back who transferred to the University of Miami this month, is definitely not 11 feet tall.
But judging by what former Canes player and new Hurricanes cornerbacks coach DeMarcus Van Dyke said Thursday morning, the 6-foot, 202-pound sophomore will be leaping sky-high as a corner to defend passes and playmakers in 2021.
Van Dyke, who played at UM from 2007 to 2010, shared with WQAM radio host Joe Rose a Stevenson slice of life that occurred Wednesday.
“We have an 11-foot banner in our eight room and he pretty much jumped up to touch it with slides on,’’ Van Dyke said. “He’s a tremendous athlete, a very good player. I’m excited about him.
“He’s going to bring a different type of element to that room,’’ Van Dyke said. “He’s played in some [big-time] games in the SEC. He’s an excellent player.’’
Van Dyke said when he first talked to Stevenson after he had decided to come back home, “I said, “You did all that to come back, man. You did all that.’’
Stevenson, who was badly wanted by UM as a Class of 2019 recruit, finished his sophomore season for No. 7 Georgia (8-2) with 34 tackles, fifth most on the team. His five passes defended were tied for the team lead.
Some other Van Dyke tidbits from the WQAM interview:
▪ He said he “was close’’ to leaving UM for Utah State to join former UM safeties coach Ephraim Banda, just named the Utah State defensive coordinator. “I actually booked my ticket to Logan,’’ Van Dyke said. “A few days later [UM] Coach [Manny] Diaz gave me a call and offered me the job.’’
▪ Van Dyke, who previously was UM’s assistant director of recruiting, said because this year was so different because of the coronavirus pandemic, he focused much of his energy on the virtual interviews with recruits via computer.
“I loved it, man,’’ Van Dyke said. “Everything was about Zoom. So every time I got in that Zoom call I made sure I acted like I was inside their home living room. Just being personable with the parent, the kid, pretty much creating dialogue and relating to the kid.
“I kind of lean on my son a lot because he’s kind of hip to what’s going on in that age bracket — you know, music, video games, things like that, just to make me sound cool.’’
▪ Van Dyke, who played high school ball at Miami Monsignor Pace and played six seasons in the NFL after being selected in the third round by the Oakland Raiders, also got his mother’s advice.
“She was one of those moms that kind of felt out the coaches when they came in the living room, and if you weren’t authentic with her she’d call you out. That’s one thing I try to be when I talk to the parents — be myself, be up front with them.’’
▪ Van Dyke called Diaz “the key” to not having players decommit from this year’s heralded recruiting class. “Those kids when they talked to Coach Diaz on Zoom calls — he’s got a nice talk game, man.” He said the recruits believed in Diaz’s message that they would be “a huge piece of what we’re going to do in the next three or four years.’’
