Don’t expect a TikTok dance, but Miami QB Tyler Van Dyke has become pretty flashy
The Next time Key’Shawn Smith catches a touchdown from Miami quarterback Tyler Van Dyke — he hopes it will be at home Saturday against Georgia Tech — he promises to do a little TikTok dance with his teammates on the sideline.
Smith said he was “so excited” after Van Dyke delivered a perfect, over-the-shoulder fastball in the end zone last week at Pitt to give UM the victory-securing lead on Smith’s first career touchdown, that all he could do was scream.
But fans of The U likely won’t get any TikTok dances from the mostly mellow 6-4, 224-pound Van Dyke, who speaks quietly, albeit sometimes boldly, and has a missile for an arm.
Key word: ‘Likely,’ because these days, Van Dyke is turning heads in all kinds of ways.
“You never know, because I deal with high schoolers and TikTok,’’ Van Dyke’s Suffield [Connecticut] Academy high school coach Drew Gamere said Thursday, laughing, when asked by the Miami Herald if he could ever imagine Van Dyke initiating a post-touchdown dance. “Listen, he’ll have fun with his teammates and he certainly has got some personality, but he’s not going to be one that will move out of his [comfort] zone.
“He’ll stay humble — I know that.’’
Fellow second-year freshman Smith, just waiting on that next touchdown, mostly cares that Van Dyke will be the one to make it possible. “TVD came in [the same recruiting class] with me,’’ Smith said, “so I knew what he was capable of. He does some crazy passes. I’m like, ‘Brother, how you do that?’ He’s young and already doing Patrick Mahomes-type throws.
“He can drop a ball on a dime. It’s crazy.’’
Rocket-like ascension
The Hurricanes (4-4, 2-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) meet the Yellow Jackets (3-5, 2-4) at 12:30 p.m. (Bally Sports Florida) at Hard Rock Stadium. Every one of their remaining four regular-season games are must-win situations for the 10 1/2-point-favorite Canes to even have a chance to win the ACC’s Coastal Division and advance to the league title game Dec. 4 in Charlotte, North Carolina. For that to happen, Miami’s reinvigorated offense will need Van Dyke to continue his rocket-like ascension.
After consecutive victories over top-20 teams (then-No. 18 NC State and then-No. 17 Pittsburgh), Van Dyke has captured the nation’s attention with spectacular performances the past two games. Against NC State, in his fourth career start, he was 25 of 33 (75.8 percent) for 325 yards and four touchdowns. At Pittsburgh last Saturday he completed 32 of 42 passes (76.2) for 428 yards and three touchdowns, with one interception.
Those last two games combined? 57 of 75 (76) for 753 yards, seven touchdowns and the pick that he called “stupid.’’
In his five starts this season, Van Dyke has 1,490 yards and 12 touchdowns, with four interceptions, and has clearly entered the ACC Rookie of the Year race.
Entering Georgia Tech, Van Dyke has vaulted to No. 16 nationally in passing efficiency, No. 11 in passing yards per completion (14.5) and No. 31 in passing yards per game (248). He got his first career start Sept. 25 against Central Connecticut State after nationally accomplished starter D’Eriq King was announced as out for the season with a shoulder injury. But Van Dyke initially became a household name when he made comments before the NC State game that the Canes had scored 44 points on the Wolfpack last season and NC State couldn’t stop them if they got off to a fast start.
His words angered the Wolfpack and were criticized by “ESPN College GameDay” analyst David Pollack, who challenged him to back up his brazen words. “Because if I’m NC State,’’ Pollack said on national TV, “I want all that smoke.’’
Recognized on campus
The low-key Van Dyke, who acknowledged he didn’t mean his words to serve as trash talk, delivered — and more. Now he’s recognized on campus but “not paying attention to it.’’
“I try to not, like, promote it I guess,’’ he said. “But I guess that’s normal, right, when you play at a D-1 school?”
By the time he graduated Suffield, Van Dyke was a consensus four-star recruit who was rated the nation’s No. 2 pro-style quarterback and top player in Connecticut by ESPN and No. 9 pro-style signal-caller by 247Sports. He finished his senior prep year with 2,260 passing yards and 21 touchdowns, with six interceptions.
“He’s a terrific young man who works extremely hard and has great character,’’ Gamere said. “He has a really calm demeanor and is not necessarily going to lead by being vocal all the time. He’s not afraid to share his thoughts but he knows he doesn’t have to be a rah-rah guy to lead.’’
Van Dyke said this week that offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee’s decision to meet privately with him for a one-on-one film session and heart-to-heart after Van Dyke’s late-game interception at North Carolina doomed Miami in its comeback attempt, was instrumental in his recent success. Being alone prevented him from being self-conscious about some of his decisions.
“You can be honest with him,’’ Van Dyke said, just tell him really what you saw, how you were feeling during the play, stuff like that. I trust all the [other quarterbacks], but you don’t always want to say what you’re seeing or if you messed up and admit you were wrong in front of everyone.’’
D’Eriq King mentoring
Also aiding in his development, Van Dyke said, are film sessions with King and weekly phone calls with former UM quarterback Malik Rosier. Rosier’s 272 passing yards on Oct. 31, 2015 at Duke — the famous eight-lateral Miami “miracle” game — were the second most by a UM quarterback in a first career start since 1999, only two yards more than Van Dyke’s 272 against Central Connecticut State.
“D’Eriq has been great,’’ Van Dyke said. “He’s given me a bunch of advice and has been there for me the whole time. He says, ‘Go be you.’ He believes in me.”
So do Van Dyke’s teammates.
“I look at him almost like a little brother,’’ said center Jakai Clark. “I want to protect him at all times. Any time you can go out and do what he accomplished against two very good defenses in NC State and Pitt, that’s progression. In practice he shows he’s only getting better, so it’s going to be real exciting to see what he does in the future.’’
Slot receiver Xavier Restrepo, Van Dyke’s roommate last year, said Van Dyke was a “goofball’’ outside of football, a “decent chef’’ whose specialty is chicken parmigiana, and likes to play video games.
“Tyler is a baller,’’ Restrepo said. “He’s obviously taken more of a leadership role and it was different to see that. He’s a lead-by-example type of guy.’’
Yellow Jackets defense
Miami is expected to win Saturday’s game, and those expectations in the past have hurt the Hurricanes’ preparation and attitude. The Yellow Jackets are ranked 106th in total defense (427.6 yards allowed a game) — 92nd in rushing defense (175 yards) and 96th in passing yards allowed (252.5).
“As you guys know, we started 2-4,’’ said Van Dyke, who believes his teammates are focused. “It was some tough times, but we knew we had a tough team and had lots of potential — and we showed that the last two games.
“...I still have to work hard. I haven’t really done anything here yet.”
This story was originally published November 4, 2021 at 4:54 PM.
