Talking Miami QB Play, Practice #11
Here’s what was witnessed with each of the three Miami Hurricanes scholarship quarterbacks from practice No. 11.
Before going into the details for each individual quarterback, one overall thought to mention. Comfort. For whatever the reason, all three of Tyler Van Dyke, Jacurri Brown, and Emory Williams just seemed comfortable with how practice operates under the watchful eye of offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson.
From one drill to the next, it was like clockwork that the task at hand was taken on and accomplished. No wasted steps, just step and take the football, then make the throw.
Tyler Van Dyke, RS-Junior
On time, consistent and accurate, Van Dyke was clearly the best quarterback on the field. Point blank, Canes fans should expect him to be Miami’s starter next fall.
Van Dyke has been the best quarterback throughout spring ball and yesterday also showed that he has high confidence with his arm strength by way of how he pushed the football down the field and threw the ball on a line.
Most importantly, Van Dyke’s right arm seemed to be just fine after last season’s shoulder injuries. He effortlessly passed the football all over the field.
He also showed touch when needed.
From today’s Miami practice, good ball 🏈 from @Tyler_Van_Dyke to @XavierRestrepo1 | #TheU pic.twitter.com/5Q2IJOf4Kk
— All Hurricanes (@AllHurricanes) April 6, 2023
Within the air raid offense, Van Dyke will have a chance to produce huge numbers this fall. He’s headed in that direction based on seeing him at practice on Thursday and how he’s performed throughout spring.
Jacurri Brown, Sophomore
With Brown, it was about the little things. How did he transfer his weight from back foot to front when throwing? How quickly did he take his drops? Those were areas that were watched more closely.
When he was throwin into the starting lineup last year, Items like that were sometimes off and cost him incompletions and Miami first downs. Good to see that’s been getting cleaned up.
His ball handling skills (play-action fakes, etc.) in the pocket have continued to improve, too. He threw with more accuracy during rollouts and plays where his feet were not stationary. That will help him with Dawson’s offense as it will ask him to make plays outside the pocket.
His mechanics looked sharper overall, and the most noticeable was his release point. It looked far more consistent with where the ball left his fingertips and that’s huge for Brown’s development.
How he continues to improve his mechanics from the waist down will probably dictate whether or not he can eventually become a big-time quarterback for the Hurricanes. When Brown used good balance, as well as transferred his weight properly to throw the football, he was really good.
Just need to continue in that direction. As usual, the arm strength and the natural athleticism were obvious.
Keep in mind, Brown’s athleticism cannot be fully used in a practice, nor can anyone in the media really say much beyond how fast he was because quarterbacks were not allowed to be hit (as has been the norm for decades with most college football programs).
In a game setting, teams will be in situations where they must tackle him one-on-one. Good luck to them. Brown has been and continues to be an elite athlete.
Emory Williams, Freshman
He just carried himself like a quarterback. That was the first point. No matter what the signal callers were doing, Williams was eager to get up to the front of the line and begin throwing the football. He also did so with technical consistency.
Williams’ technique was advanced for a freshman (and one that should still be in high school). That’s been the case since he arrived at Miami and his mechanics looked even more consistent with the coaching he’s received at Miami.
As for specifics, Williams looked really good with short to intermediate throws. His timing was good, as was his ability to lead receivers.
While not the most exciting, those throws also moved the chains and helped to place the football in the hands of playmakers like Xavier Restrepo, Brashard Smith, and Colbie Young, among others, in space. That’s what Dawson’s offense has often focused on in the past and likely will continue to do moving forward. After hitting those shorter passes, that's when a quarterback can then go up top for deep balls with more success.
Lastly, Williams has added quite a bit of good weight since his high school days. He’s added the size that will allow him to be more physically able to take the pounding of Power 5 football.
AllHurricanes.com is your home for all things Miami Hurricanes football, recruiting, basketball and other athletics, all the time. Follow along on social media at @AllHurricanes on Twitter and All Hurricanes on Facebook for round-the-clock news and analysis.
Fan Nation High school football recruiting analyst covering the state of Florida, as well as across the Southeastern United States and the state of Texas.