Miami Hurricanes quarterback Tyler Van Dyke will be even better in 2022 | D'Angelo

CORAL GABLES — Tyler Van Dyke prepared for the 2021 Miami Hurricanes football season as if he were the starting quarterback, but knowing he wasn't. In fact, it was not even determined he was the backup when the season began.

With starter D'Eriq King's injury history (and his style), Miami knew it better have someone ready to step in. By the fourth week of the season, King was finished, felled by a shoulder injury. Soon, another quarterback, Jake Garcia, was injured. The job was Van Dyke's.

And he never relinquished it.

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Van Dyke started slow in his first two games against ACC competition before Miami truly knew what it had at the position. The last six games were magical, as good as anyone at the position in the country, at least statistically.

The season ended with Van Dyke posting six straight games with at least 300 passing yards and three touchdown passes, being named the ACC Rookie of the Year and rising in the eyes of NFL scouts. He completed 62.3% of his passes (202 of 324) for 2,931 yards, 25 TDs and six interceptions on the season.

NFL probably next stop for Van Dyke

Van Dyke was so good Miami now must find a starter for 2023 when the 6-foot-4, 224-pounder likely will be playing on Sundays. He has risen to No. 4 on some lists of draft-eligible quarterbacks.

"Tyler Van Dyke is very special," said Mario Cristobal, who takes over at his alma mater after spending the past five years at Oregon, four as the head coach.

Miami was 6-3 in games Van Dyke started last season. The passing offense went from 19th nationally to top 10, jumping nearly 44 yards per game to 321.2. Now, with Cristobal luring Josh Gattis from Michigan to run the offense, the expectations are high. Miami is No. 17 in the USA Today preseason poll and opens the season Saturday hosting Bethune-Cookman.

"Last year I learned a lot of things," said Van Dyke, a third-year sophomore from Glastonbury, Connecticut. "I try to get into the film room a lot and really try to understand what the defense is trying to do. At times last year, that kind of got me. I had some bad throws, bad decision-making sometimes."

As good as Van Dyke was in the second half of 2021, expect a more polished decision-maker and effective leader in 2022. Van Dyke will need some help, mostly from an unproven receiving room, but Gattis' philosophy will be a big part of that development.

Gattis was a big reason Michigan got to the College Football Playoff. His offense was more balanced, versatile and unpredictable. As a result, he was named the Broyles Award winner as the nation's top assistant coach. An improved running game, more play-action and forcing the defense to pay more attention to the backs and tight ends (led by Will Mallory) in the passing game could open up the Hurricanes' offense even more.

"I love coach Gattis," Van Dyke said. "He is bringing a lot of things that we never had last year. He likes to utilize the talent we have — the running backs and the tight ends — to their best ability. I'm really excited for that."

Van Dyke admits he grew a lot last year, but said that does not mean he is approaching this year any different even with heightened expectations and more attention. He's aware of the hype, the magazine covers, the label of Heisman dark horse, the draft projections, but insists he is not paying attention.

Van Dyke is not preparing for this season any differently than he did after signing with Miami as a four-star prospect in 2020.

"I always watched film like I was the starter. I always practiced like I was a starter. The preparation is the same," he said.

"Leadership-wise, it's different. I'm the guy now so I have to make sure those guys always stay positive and always are ready to work."

New offensive coordinator Josh Gattis high on Tyler Van Dyke

Gattis, for one, has recognized those skills.

"The thing that's exciting about Tyler is the mature approach he takes to everything," Gattis said. "It doesn't matter if he's working out on the field or in the weight room, going to class ...  he's very mature. He's a great football player, but he's an even smarter football player.

"He's a guy you don't have to tell twice certain things, he learns from his mistakes relatively fast. (And) there's still so much more room to grow, understanding different situations in the game. I think that's going to be the biggest growth for him, not necessarily from a physical standpoint, but the mental aspect of game experience, creating those actual learning experiences."

All of this means that attention on Van Dyke today may be nothing like he will be receiving in three months.

Tom D'Angelo is a journalist at The Palm Beach Post. You can reach him at tdangelo@pbpost.com. 

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Quarterback Tyler Van Dyke leads Miami Hurricanes into 2022 season