Is Tyler Van Dyke the Most Underrated QB in CFB?

As crazy as it sounds, Miami quarterback Tyler Van Dyke could possibly be the most underrated quarterback in college football going in to the 2022 season.

After D’Eriq King’s injury in 2021, Van Dyke stepped in and didn’t look back. In the last six games of 2021, TVD put up 2,194 passing yards with 20 touchdowns and 3 interceptions while completing 66% of his passes. During those six games, TVD had at least 300 passing yards and 3 passing touchdowns and was the first quarterback to accomplish that since Joe Burrow in 2019. Now, TVD is returning to school as a redshirt sophomore with experience under his belt. He may well be the best quarterback in the country as he didn’t have the crop of talent like some of his peers did. He did it without multiple first round picks at wide receiver and without five-star offensive linemen. TVD has pro size paired an elite arm, so why isn’t he being shown the same respect that his peers receive?

How is he being underrated?

Van Dyke is being extremely underrated when it comes to awards. The Heisman odds, according to VegasInsider.com, have TVD listed with the sixth best odds to win the prestigious trophy (+3000). After last season, you would think TVD’s odds would be a little better, right? Who’s over him? Quarterbacks Bryce Young (+200), CJ Stroud (+400) and Caleb Williams (+900) round out the top three. Understandably so. Suprisingly, Clemson’s DJ Uiagalelei is the next quarterback up in terms of odds at +2000. After throwing for 9 TDs and 10 INTs in 13 games last year, having his name on a Heisman list is pretty insulting. In addition, Clemson lost their longtime offensive coordinator and leading wide receiver in Justyn Ross. Make it make sense.

TVD’s odds are equal to quarterbacks Jaxson Dart, Spencer Rattler and Dillon Gabriel. While all three are decent/good quarterbacks, should they really be on the same tier of Heisman odds as TVD? Dart threw 9 TDs and 5 INTs in 6 games at USC and now finds himself in the SEC with Ole Miss. Granted he has a better scheme under Lane Kiffin, he isn’t playing against PAC-12 defenses anymore. Rattler showed promise while at Oklahoma in 2020 but in 2021, he threw 11 TDs and 5 INTs. He also now finds himself in the SEC as a Gamecock with a severe downgrade in talent beside him. Gabriel filled in well at UCF throwing for 70 TDs and 14 INTs in three years and now makes the move to the Big 12 with Oklahoma. Since he has an actual track record, I think his odds are well done. Now, should these three quarterbacks be on his level in terms of odds? I think not.

The worst way that TVD is being underrated comes from NFL Mock Drafts. Obviously, the top two QBs are going to be Ohio State’s CJ Stroud and Alabama’s Bryce Young. That’s completely understandable. But TVD deserves to be up there in arguments for being QB3, if not better due to his pro size. Let’s take a look at an example of an NFL mock draft for 2023.

Pro Football Network’s Cam Mellor did a mock draft that has multiple QBs going in the first round. In their mock, they have five QBs getting selected within the first eight picks. In total, Mellor has seven QBs going in the first round, and none of which are TVD. These QBs include Spencer Rattler from South Carolina, Jake Haener from Fresno State, Phil Jurkovec from Boston College, Will Levis from Kentucky and Jaren Hall from BYU. So, according to PFN, a fourth of first round picks in 2023 will be quarterbacks, yet none of which will be Tyler Van Dyke. This is just utter disrespect towards him, and he will make his name and skill known in 2022. As TVD says, a Joe Burrow-esque season in 2022 would make him a household name going into the 2023 NFL Draft and earn him the respect he deserves.