Cristobal Compares Hurricanes' QB Van Dyke to NFL Pro Bowler Herbert
Justin Herbert was one of the college football’s most prolific passers in his time at Oregon under then Oregon head coach Mario Cristobal. Since his transition to the NFL in 2020, when he was drafted sixth overall by the Los Angeles Chargers, he hasn’t missed a beat. In just his second season, Herbert threw for a jaw dropping 5,014 yards, which was good enough for second most in the league, behind only future Hall of Famer Tom Brady.
The 2020 Rookie of the Year is without a doubt one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL and looks to be in that position for the next decade or so. It’s got to be encouraging, then, for Miami Hurricanes fans to hear Cristobal, who’s now taken the reins at Miami, to say that he sees a lot of similarities between the Pro Bowler Herbert and the Hurricanes’ huddle caller, Tyler Van Dyke.
“He reminds me a lot of what we had at Oregon with Justin Herbert. And again, [Van Dyke] only played I believe in seven, eight games last year. And you saw Miami's offense is on a really huge upturn, you know, uptick when he was in there” said Cristobal on The Herd, “So we think he's going to be one of the best players in the country right now.”
It’s high praise from a coach who’s had a player selected in the top seven of each of the last three NFL drafts. Cristobal certainly knows how to develop talent, and Van Dyke has got a truckload of it. Looking at Miami’s man under center and Herbert purely from a numbers standpoint, Van Dyke is already off to a significantly better collegiate start.
As a redshirt-freshman in 2021, Van Dyke only started nine games in his first season (saw action in ten), but still managed to throw for 2,931 yards and 25 touchdowns. That’s almost 1,000 yards and ten touchdowns more than Herbert’s sophomore season stats (1,983 yards and 15 touchdowns), which was his second season as the Ducks’ starter. To be fair, Herbert had one fewer start with eight, before missing the remainder of the season due to injury.
Really, Van Dyke’s freshman season is much more comparable to Herbert’s junior year, when the Oregon Duck threw for 3,151 yards and 29 touchdowns. Herbert has a 200 yard and four touchdown edge but also played 13 full games in comparison to Van Dyke’s nine-and-a-half.
Van Dyke does hold the advantage in passer rating: (Van Dyke 160.1 compared to Herbert at 144.6. He also threw two fewer interceptions (Van Dyke with six and Herbert with eight. All this in just his first season as the Hurricanes’ starter.
Physically, both signal callers are prototypical pocket passers with huge, lengthy frames and rocket launchers for throwing arms. Herbert stands 6’6” while Van Dyke measure in at 6’4” and both are well equipped to see over the front five and make throws while being harassed by towering defensive linemen. Herbert showed more mobility in his college days than Van Dyke has, but the Hurricanes’ head coach thinks that his current play-caller’s got plenty of motor hiding under the pads.
“He is a complete player. He really is and he's very mobile. His pocket presence is off the charts.” Cristobal continued to call Van Dyke “an exceptional leader. He's a relentless-pursuit-of-excellence guy, his decision making is on point, his accuracy, his arm strength. He understands protections, the run game… He's done a great job in the offseason with our team, certainly in spring practice. He was off the charts as a competitor and as a leader, so big things (ahead for Tyler Van Dyke).”
The work he puts in this offseason will be crucial to Miami’s success as Van Dyke will be responsible for building connections with a group of unproven receivers that includes transfer Frank Ladson Jr. and sophomore Romello Brinson. Defenses will surely be keyed on Van Dyke in 2022, who’s already in Heisman contention, and will likely try and make it more difficult for the rifle-armed righty to fire his signature deep ball.
Under new offensive coordinator Josh Gattis, there should be plenty of variety and opportunity for Van Dyke to spread the ball out among Miami’s deep catalog of speedy offensive weapons. He’ll have Ladson and Brinson, as well as receiver Keyshawn Smith and running back Jaylan Knighton, who has proven to be a very effective receiver out of the backfield and led the Hurricanes in touchdowns last year with eleven total (eight rushing, three receiving).
With so much talent seemingly finding their stride, a constantly improving offensive line, and an offensive scheme tailor made to fit Van Dyke and his strengths, this Miami offense could be a lot of fun to watch come September. For now, Van Dyke is still clocking the extra hours in preparation for the 2022 season, waiting for his opportunity to take the Hurricanes back to the top of the ACC dogpile.
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