On Wednesday morning, Miami Hurricanes QB Tyler Van Dyke was named the ACC’s overall and offensive Rookie of the Year!

A 2nd year freshman from Glastonbury , CT, Van Dyke took over for an injured D’Eriq King ahead of Miami’s 4th game, an FCS buy-game against Central Connecticut State. Van Dyke and fellow freshman Jake Garcia split action that day, ostensibly a one-game absence for King to recover from a minor injury.

However, the following week Miami announced King was done for the year, and Garcia was out for a while with a broken ankle, and just like that, Van Dyke became Miami’s starting QB.

At first, he showed flashes of greatness, but it was intermittent. Mostly leveraging the smash passing concept for his success, Van Dyke was working his way into comfort on the field. His first two starts were losses to Virginia and North Carolina with average play at best.

But then the schedule turned to North Carolina State, and nothing was the same.

That week, Van Dyke stated following practice one day that he was not worried about NC State’s defense based upon the game the previous year, and was confident he and Miami would be able to move the ball through the air. Coming off passing games of 203 and 264 yards, respectively, that not only seemed dubious, but cocky.

Not only did Van Dyke stand in the paint with what he said, he delivered on the field. 325 yards passing with 4 TDs and 0 INTs and the start of an historic run of performance through the rest of the schedule.

That run of six consecutive 300+ yard/3+TD passing games is something no other ACC player has accomplished. And, for his efforts, Van Dyke was named the ACC Rookie of the Week five times in that six game stretch.

And, his elite performance over that run has led him to be named the ACC’s overall AND offensive Rookie of the Year.

Van Dyke joins Duke Johnson (2012) and Brad Kaaya (2014) in winning both ACC overall rookie and offensive rookie of the year in the same season.

Here’s a bit more on this dual award announcement from The ACC:

GREENSBORO, N.C. (theACC.com) – Miami quarterback Tyler Van Dyke, who stepped up amidst adversity to deliver a standout freshman season for the Hurricanes, has been voted the 2021 Atlantic Coast Conference Football Rookie of the Year.

Van Dyke was chosen in voting by a select 50-member media panel and the conference’s 14 head coaches. He was also voted the ACC Offensive Rookie of the Year in addition to his overall honor.

Van Dyke became the third Hurricane to ever win ACC Rookie of the Year and ACC Offensive Rookie of the Year honors in the same season, joining running back Duke Johnson (2012) and quarterback Brad Kaaya (2014).

Van Dyke was voted the ACC Rookie of the Week five of the final six weeks of the regular season after being forced into the starting lineup due to a season-ending injury to starter D’Eriq King. The Glastonbury, Conn., native appeared in 10 games overall, completing 62.3 percent of his passes (202 of 324) for 2,931 yards and 25 touchdowns.

Van Dyke’s closing run included six consecutive weeks in which he passed for more than 300 yards and at least three touchdowns. Van Dyke led the Hurricanes to a 38-34 win over eventual Coastal Division champion Pitt – the No. 17 Panthers’ only loss in ACC play – and a 31-30 victory over No. 18 NC State.

Safety James Williams finished third in ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year voting.

The complete breakdown of the 2021 ACC Football Rookie of the Year voting:

Rookie of the Year

Tyler Van Dyke, QB, Miami, 48

Will Shipley, RB, Clemson, 12

Andrew Mukuba, S, Clemson, 2

Duce Chestnut, CB, Syracuse, 2

Offensive Rookie of the Year

Tyler Van Dyke, QB, Miami, 50

Will Shipley, RB, Clemson, 13

Malachi Thomas, RB, Virginia Tech, 1

Defensive Rookie of the Year

Andrew Mukuba, S, Clemson, 28

Duce Chestnut, CB, Syracuse, 19

James Williams, S, Miami, 13

Jasheen Davis, DE, Wake Forest, 4

Also noted in the release is Miami S James Williams, who finished 3rd for ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year.

But this is really all about TVD, and what he’s done on the field this year.

And, TVD’s performance and potential development should make a lot of Canes fans excited for the future.

Congratulations Tyler!

Go Canes