Miami Hurricanes QB Tyler Van Dyke: ‘There’s no more BS going on around here’
Miami Hurricanes quarterback Tyler Van Dyke was cuttingly candid in an interview with WQAM last week, particularly about how things have changed since Mario Cristobal took over.
What’s the biggest difference with the coaching change?
“You can tell the difference, the discipline and intensity that has changed the program so far,” Van Dyke said. “There’s no more BS going on around here.
“Always have to be on time or you’re going to face some discipline issues. [Paying attention to] small details will help us on the field. We need that standard and we’ve needed it for awhile.
”With him as the head guy, with all that talent, there no more excuses. We have the best coaching staff in college football. There are no more excuses to be 7-5, 8-4.
”We’ve got to be better with discipline and details.... That’s what gets us beat. The biggest thing is player-led accountability. Me and a couple guys are doing that to make sure everybody does the right thing.”
Van Dyke addressed other issues:
▪ On the difference in moving from Rhett Lashlee’s offense to Josh Gattis’ offense: “You’ll be able to notice a difference. We don’t run as many RPOs [run/pass options] as we used to. A lot more pass concepts, a lot more run concepts, more outside zone, more run scheme we didn’t necessarily have last year....
“We have a lot of playmakers. You get the ball to them in space and they make something happen. As long as the line gives me some time and we get the playmakers the ball, it’s going to be a good season.”
▪ On his biggest challenge this year: “People studying my game a little more. That means I have to watch more film, put more work into it, and I’m going to do it so they can’t scheme me up. So I can scheme them up even better.”
▪ On where he has improved: “Working on my feet or my throwing motion on the run. I’ve had a habit to drop my elbow running to my right or left; it’s [made me] a little inaccurate. I’ve really improved my game with that and staying in the pocket and getting my feet to where the receiver is going to be and making more accurate throws.”
▪ On who has impressed him: “Lot of guys have stepped up, Jacolby George, [Xavier Restrepo], Key’shawn [Smith], Frank [Ladson].”
He said freshman tight end Jaleel Skinner “has stepped up since Will Mallory got hurt [with a shoulder injury that sidelined him for much of spring practice].”
He said Skinner is “a really athletic freak who you can get the ball to in space and make something happen. He’s going to be a great player in the future.”
At running back, Van Dyke said Henry Parrish and Thad Franklin “look really good. Henry has really impressed me. Thad Franklin has been unbelievable this spring, stepping up for the those guys. He’s been really, really good. He’ll get on the field too. We’ll have a really good rotation at running back.”
Van Dyke has the nation’s longest ongoing streak of games with at least 300 passing yards and at least three touchdown passes, having done that for the final six games of last season.
”It’s changed my life going from not playing at all to where I’m at now,” he said. “I’ve learned a lot on and off the field. I feel a lot more experienced, more confident. I can’t wait until this fall.”
Van Dyke, incidentally, continues to make good money from NIL deals.
Agent Drew Rosenhaus and his Rosenhaus Sports colleagues Robert Bailey and Shawn O’Dare (both former UM players) have negotiated more than 20 NIL deals for Van Dyke, totaling well into six figures. His newest deals are brand ambassador for Moocho and four trading card deals.
THIS AND THAT
University of Maryland defensive lineman Darrell Jackson, who had 22 tackles as a freshman, is the latest player in the portal who’s scheduled to visit the UM campus.
During the past two weeks, UM has hosted at least three portal players who remain uncommitted: West Virginia defensive end Akheem Mesidor, UCLA linebacker Caleb Johnson (who’s visiting Texas this week) and Southern California kicker Parker Lewis. [UPDATE: Mesidor committed to the Hurricanes on Wednesday evening.]
This story was originally published April 20, 2022 at 3:45 PM.
