Miami Hurricanes QB Tyler Van Dyke getting bulk of spring reps not surprising

With D’Eriq King out for Miami Hurricanes spring practice with a torn anterior cruciate ligament second-year freshman, Tyler Van Dyke is expected to receive most of the snaps at quarterback. Jake Garcia who signed in the 2021 class is recovering from his own injury suffered during his high school season

Peyton Matocha is a redshirt freshman who completed two passes in four attempts in 2020 and ran twice for five yards. Van Dyke did not complete a pass in two attempts and is credited with one rushing attempt for a loss of seven yards. Garcia is the highest-rated QB on the Miami Hurricanes roster coming out of high school.

The absence of King for the spring provides the three young Miami QBs with the opportunity to compete for what is expected to be the second-team signal-caller this fall. Appearing on the Joe Rose Show on Wednesday head coach Manny Diaz stated that even with King healthy the younger QBs would have had reps.

The vast amount more than the young QBs will receiver without King active this spring will benefit the Miami Hurricanes in the future. Garcia, Matocha and Van Dyke will compete to be the Miami QB in 2022 unless Miami unexpectedly pursues a transfer.

"“If D’Eriq were healthy we would still want to rep the younger guys…We know what D’Eriq would do, but he would still be taking reps. You get better by reps. That’s the great thing about having Tyler [Van Dyke], especially with, unfortunately, the timing he missed due to COVID in the fall, which was out of our control."

Van Dyke has quickly made an impact on the Miami football team with his work ethic. The QB is frequently the face of a football program and Van Dyke has shown the ability to assume leadership of the Hurricanes. Van Dyke entered Miami as a quiet leader, similar to the personality King has. Diaz elaborated.

"“People want (to) follow a leader who does things the right way. That’s what Tyler does. He’s so competitive and he’s so hard-working. I think his natural personality, that’s one of the things I’m looking forward to seeing over the next four and a half weeks, seeing his personality coming out.”"

Van Dyke has already become a leader in the Miami football program. The next four and a half weeks Diaz alludes to leads up to the spring game on April 17 at Hard Rock Stadium. It’s not known how the snaps will be split for the spring game with three QBs. It seems like for Garcia and Van Dyke to start for the two teams.

The next month could have a bigger impact on the 2022 season than 2021. King is expected to be fully rehabbed and ready for Alabama in September. The reps the three healthy QBs receive this spring are invaluable for the future. Miami has a strong future at QB with Garcia, Matocha and Van Dyke on the roster.