In this installment of The Recruit Notebook, we meet Miami’s potential QB of the future: Tyler Van Dyke

Bio

With a full cycle to find a QB, Dan Enos took his search up the Atlantic Coast to Connecticut. And when he got there, he found his man at QB in this class: 6’4” 215lb Suffield (CT) standout Tyler Van Dyke.

A big, strong player with a cannon for an arm and more athleticism than you might think, Van Dyke is a blue-chip talent who showed his skills well in both camp and game settings over the course of the last year. As a senior, Van Dyke completed 123 of 200 passes (61.5% completions) for 2260 yards, 21 TDs and 5 INTs, while adding 139 yards and 4 TDs rushing while leading Suffield Academy to an undefeated, 9-0 State Championship season.

While Miami kicked the tires on a couple other QBs earlier this cycle (like....March/April after this staff was hired and completed the 2019 recruiting cycle at NSD in February), the connection between Miami and Van Dyke grew quickly, and the sides moved rapidly to get him in this class.

Van Dyke earned a spot in the Elite 11 QB competition in the summer of 2019, and showed well. There were areas for improvement (and 7v7 isn’t his best on-field engagement), and Van Dyke worked to shore them up while still keeping his main positives — namely his HUGE arm and solid accuracy.

Like most star HS athletes, Van Dyke excelled in a second sport: Baseball. He was the Western New England Prep Baseball League Pitcher of the Year as a junior after going 6-0 on the mound with a 1.08 ERA for the league champions. Van Dyke also hit .360 with 20 RBIs and 2 HRs to his credit in just 14 games as a hitter.

Recruiting Rule #1 is that you have to have a QB in every recruiting class, and Miami got a darn good one in Tyler Van Dyke.

Recruiting Ranking

On the 247sports composite, Van Dyke is a 4-star prospect, the #9 Pro-style QB nationally in this class, #2 in the State of Connecticut, and #210 recruit overall.

Van Dyke committed to Miami over offers from Syracuse, Boston College, and Cal from his list of 20 scholarship offers.

As a player

Van Dyke is a big and tall player, and he maintains that stature on the field. He’s worked from under center and in the shotgun in HS, so he has experience taking snaps and drops in both settings — a key for his transition into Dan Enos’s pro-style offensive scheme.

Besides his physical stature, a legit 6’4” 215lbs, Van Dyke’s biggest asset on the field is his VERY strong arm. When you watch the HUDL highlights below, notice how the ball just jumps out of his hand. It’s not the strongest arm ever (think Matthew Stafford or Jacob Eason). but Van Dyke has a cannon that’s in the upper 20% of arms you’ll see, for sure. So, if you’re thinking about how he could fit at Miami, think about a play-action post over the top of the defense. Van Dyke can make those throws of 40, 50, 60 yards with ease. And that’s a good thing.

Van Dyke isn’t all power with no finesse, however. He is an accurate passer (61.5% completions as a senior) who can put touch on his throws when needed. Even with that being the case, there’s room for improvement here because he’s still a developing player not a finished product, and skills can always get refined when moving from the prep to college level.

While he’s not Lamar Jackson or Michael Vick, Van Dyke can move around if needed. He’s more apt to manipulate space in the pocket to find room to throw than he is to tuck it and run for 40 yards. But, if defenses ignore Van Dyke, he has the ability to step up and get yards with his legs. This is more like the ability to get 8 yards on 3rd and 7 than it is to get 25 yards on a 1st down zone-read. Oh, and Van Dyke is above average when it comes to throwing on the run. That’s worth noting, too.

Here’s Van Dyke’s evaluation from 247sports recruiting analyst Brian Dohn:

Good frame allows him to stand tall in pocket. Two-sport standout also excels as a pitcher in baseball. Smooth delivery with soft touch on deep throws. Accurate and can fit ball into tight windows. Calm demeanor. Plays in control. Slides in pocket well. Has high release point to accentuate size. Has sneaky mobility to extend plays. Needs to shorten his release. Must show arm strength to throw 15-yard out. Increasing athleticism will be helpful. Multi-year starter at Top 20 program. Projects as a mid-to-late (fifth round) NFL draft pick.

Junior HL’s (watch the first throw to see the arm strength with the flick of the wrist)

Senior HL’s (watch for where he is physically and skill-wise now, and to compare where he was last year, too)

Strengths

• Arm strength
• Experience working under-center and in shotgun
• Winning pedigree
• Multi-sport athleticism

Weaknesses

• Inconsistent footwork
• Can trust his arm too much (which is okay at the HS level but will get him into trouble at the college level if he’s not careful)
• HS Offense wasn’t as complex as Miami’s (which will impact his learning curve, most likely)

2020 Outlook

We all know that the Miami Hurricanes continue to look for a “face of the program”-like QB. Adding Van Dyke is another step along that path, adding a blue chip talent to the group to see what shakes and who rises to the top. While I think Van Dyke could insert himself into the conversation with a strong spring practice as an early enrollee, it’s hard for me to see him passing Jarren Williams, N’Kosi Perry, Tate Martell, and Peyton Matocha (or whichever of them elect not to transfer) this season. In the future, maybe. But not YET.

Chances for a Redshirt: 9/10

Again, Van Dyke has talent, and could even play in a couple of games with the new “play 4 but still redshirt” rule. But I just can’t project him to start, or play enough snaps not to redshirt. Not this year.

That’s it for this installment of the Recruiting Notebook.

Go Canes