After calamitous Year 1, Mario Cristobal, Miami avoid offseason disaster by retaining Tyler Van Dyke

A week ago, Miami wrapped up spring practice with its final scrimmage under the lights, and after an offseason chalked with change — 23 players have left the program, 10 transfers are coming to Coral Gables and seven new on-field assistants are now on staff including a pair of new coordinators — second-year head coach Mario Cristobal told an ACC Network sideline reporter, “There’s progress, but there’s still a ways to go.”

“Our roster could look significantly different when we start camp in the fall,” Cristobal added. 

“I’ve been very fortunate to have coached and played for some very good coaches, and that blueprint has stood the test of time. To make that blueprint work, we still have to enhance the caliber of talent on our roster.”

The key phrase being enhance. 

For the last several days, that objective appeared in real danger, as Miami’s starting quarterback Tyler Van Dyke was reportedly entertaining more lucrative NIL offers from other programs. The Miami Herald reported he was “upset” with his NIL deal with Miami and was pondering a submission into the transfer portal. 

After a calamitous 5-7 Year 1, all the work Cristobal had done this offseason to ensure that Year 2 at ‘The U’ would look different — from the coaching changes, to signing a Top 10 recruiting class, to plugging key holes in the roster via transfer additions — appeared in real danger of being rendered moot if the Hurricanes lost Van Dyke to Alabama or Florida or whoever.

“He’s doing a great job as a leader, progressing and he’s doing a great job of just taking ownership as a leader on this football team and making this thing go forward,” Cristobal said after Van Dyke’s strong spring game performance where he looked healthy and comfortable operating new OC Shannon Dawson’s offense. 

While Cristobal has been complimentary this spring of backup quarterbacks Jacurri Brown and early enrollee Emory Williams, a former Elite 11 finalist, Miami would have little chance of making a bowl game in 2023 if either quarterback had to start the majority of the games this fall. 

Before word started to leak about Van Dyke’s potential departure, Cristobal told reporters after the spring game that Miami’s roster still has pressing needs for a receiver, defensive back and defensive tackle, so the Canes could ill-afford a gapping hole at starting quarterback, too. 

Fortunately, calamity was avoided this time around. 

However … or whoever made it happen — be it Mario Cristobal, John Ruiz or the Miami Cane Connection collective — Tyler Van Dyke isn’t going anywhere in 2023. 

He’ll be a ‘Cane, and that’s a game-changing decision that allows Cristobal to continue to focus on the progress — and process — of enhancing UM’s roster the rest of the offseason. 

Relentlessly working. All focus on 2023. 100% CANE!#GoCanes pic.twitter.com/AOdLDYhqol

— Miami Hurricanes Football (@CanesFootball) April 20, 2023

“Relentlessly working. All focus on 2023. 100% CANE!,” read the tweet from Miami’s official football account. Van Dyke immediately retweeted the news, too. 

Van Dyke isn’t the top returning QB in the ACC, but the former All-ACC Freshman performer has the upside and skill set to be one of the more intriguing NFL Draft picks at the position come 2024. He threw for nearly 3,000 yards with 25 touchdowns to six picks in 2021 before laboring through a bad offense and a shoulder injury last season (1,800 passing yards with 10 touchdowns and five interceptions). 

But a reworked receiver room, coupled with more help along the OL, positions the Hurricanes for a rebound season offensively. Van Dyke is healthy now, too.

Miami’s quarterback is back, and while Cristobal & Co., still have a lot of work to do to return ‘The U’ back into a national contender, holding onto Tyler Van Dyke was a major offseason win for a program that’s battled all manor of storms during Cristobal’s short Hurricanes’ tenure.