One of the more obvious players in the transfer portal during this cycle was Miami football's Tyler Van Dyke. A former four-star recruit out of Connecticut, many thought that Van Dyke would be the next great Hurricanes quarterback that they had so desperately been missing for decades. There were times where that seemed the case, like against Texas A&M this season. But then there were games like in Week 10 against NC State that cost him his job the following week, and most likely led him to play for Wisconsin football in 2024.
The game the following week was against Miami's arch-rival, No. 4 Florida State on the road at Doak Campbell Stadium. That meant that head coach Mario Cristobal chose true freshman Emory Williams as his starter, who had just one start under his belt, three weeks against Clemson. Cristobal traded nearly three years worth of experience in Van Dyke in exchange for Williams' single game, albeit in the most difficult of circumstances. But the Hurricanes' football coach seemingly had no choice.
In Van Dyke's four games prior to Miami facing the Seminoles, the junior quarterback had accounted for 11 total turnovers to just five touchdowns. The Hurricanes went 1-3 during that stretch and just barely beat a two-win Virginia team in overtime. But NC State was the final straw, where Van Dyke only threw for 173 yards with no touchdowns to three interceptions and a lost fumble. Miami scored only six points against the Wolfpack.
When right before gametime against Florida State it was announced that Williams would get the start, it seemed inevitable that was it for Van Dyke as the starting Miami quarterback. However, the three-year starter would actually come into the game against the Seminoles on the Hurricanes' last drive after Williams, diving for a first down on a must-have fourth down deep in their own territory, broke his non-throwing arm. But Van Dyke ended the drive a few plays later, throwing an interception, which felt appropriate considering his year of play.
Van Dyke would start Miami's last two games against Louisville and Boston College and threw three touchdowns and no interceptions and went 1-1. Now Van Dyke is getting ready to suit up for Wisconsin football and second-year head coach Luke Fickell to hopefully revive his career with hopes of having a promising career in the NFL afterward.
If for nothing else, it will be a change of scenery for Van Dyke, who not only will look to cut down on his turnovers but get and stay healthy through an entire season.
Tyler Van Dyke will be top 3 in Big Ten QBR playing for Wisconsin football
Two of the top 3 QBR leaders in the Big Ten next season won't be there. Kyle McCord has already entered the transfer portal and will be moving on to Syracuse from Ohio State. JJ McCarthy has yet to announce his intentions next season, but most signs point to him entering the NFL Draft. Taulia Tagovailoa, third in the conference in QBR in 2023, will be coming back next season to finish his career at Maryland.
For those that have watched Van Dyke, there's a good quarterback there — he just doesn't always show up. Perhaps under Wisconsin offensive coordinator Phil Longo's Air Raid offense, he could have as productive a year as he had in 2021, where he finished third in the ACC with an 80.1 QBR.
Tyler Van Dyke makes second team All-Big Ten
This year's first team selection was JJ McCarthy, so if he were to return, it would be difficult not to see him be selected first team All-Big Ten in 2024. But even if he decides to bolt for the NFL, Dillon Gabriel will be at Oregon and Washington just picked up Mississippi State's Will Rogers out of the portal to replace Michael Penix Jr. Also, USC is still looking for Caleb Williams' replacement in the portal, so the competition could be heavy in the Big Ten next season. But if Van Dyke could prove a change of scenery was all that was needed, then there's good reason for a second-team selection at the very least. However, it will be important to see what the Wisconsin staff may look for in the portal to help him.
Tyler Van Dyke cuts down his interception total
This season was the absolute worst for the now former Miami quarterback with interceptions, throwing 12 total. It seemed often that either he was playing scared or suffering from the yips. He would seldom hold onto the ball too long and then miss wide-open receivers. Maybe this was the pressure of playing quarterback at The U. If that was the case, then that's not something Van Dyke will have to worry about in Madison, playing for the Badgers. That's not to say it's not one of the better programs in the Big Ten, but it doesn't come with quite the amount of pressure that Miami does. I believe if he's comfortable in the system that Longo has, he'll cut his interceptions in half in 2024.
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