Opinion: Why Miami's Tyler Van Dyke Has Earned National Attention
Article photo of Miami Hurricanes quarterback Tyler Van Dyke; credit to
Miami Hurricanes quarterback Tyler Van Dyke has become a veteran. He’s seen what it’s like to lead his team to victory, lose close games, and go through tough injuries.
Perhaps the rocky road of his college football journey has motivated Van Dyke. Based on how he’s been tearing up defenses so far in 2023, that’s a safe bet.
To that point, Pro Football Focus has rated Van Dyke No. 1 in quarterback efficiency. College football’s elite realm of quarterbacks – with Colorado's Shedeur Sanders and Washington's Michael Penix, Jr. among them – Van Dyke's numbers have still been eye-opening and top PFF's list:
Highest graded Quarterbacks this season⭐️ pic.twitter.com/yfQGryp9ct
— PFF College (@PFF_College) September 20, 2023
Anyone that's looked at the betting odds to win the Heisman Trophy knows that it's full of quarterbacks that have played at a high level. Van Dyke has trended towards becoming a factor in that discussion as well. The details for why that's happened were presented below.
Anyone that’s truly looked at Van Dyke’s statistics will come away impressed. Before portraying the raw data that’s been established by Van Dyke, note one other key ingredient, and it's even more important than the statistics. He’s been in control during big-time moments.
When it mattered most, Van Dyke threw passes with tremendous accuracy, timing and rhythm. It’s been apparent that Van Dyke worked long and hard – along with all of his teammates – and that dedication allowed the Miami passing game flourish.
Here are a few of the primary statistics to note, among many, that helped Van Dyke establish himself as a dominant college quarterback.
Passing totals
: 57 of 75, 76%, 822 yards, 8 touchdowns and 1 interception.
Third down passing
: 10 of 13, 76.9%, 164 yards, 1 touchdown and no interceptions.
Red zone passing
: 8 of 11, 72.7%, 4 touchdowns and no interceptions.
When Miami has trailed by 1-7
: 7 of 9 passing, 77.8%, 106 yards, 15.1 average, 1 touchdown and no interceptions.
When Miami has trailed by 8-14
: 5 out of 6, 130 yards, 26 yard average, 2 touchdowns and no interceptions.
It's one thing to complete passes when it's a normal circumstance, but Van Dyke accomplished big-time numbers when the chips were down and his team needed him the most. I expected Van Dyke to rebound and have a great 2023 season. Many other media members were optimistic as well. He's blown my projections out of the water, however, and those of my colleagues as well.
How about that 26 yards per completion Van Dyke has averaged when trailing by 8-14 as a prime point of proof?
The above numbers have made it clear, along with the timing of those numbers, that Van Dyke has earned the distinction as an elite college signal caller. That's why Miami's signal caller has earned high praise from PFF, and he should earn it from everywhere else as well including Heisman voters (if he has not already earned it).
Van Dyke has been one of college football’s best players so far this season. He's earned the praise no matter where it came from.
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