Miami Hurricanes 2023 Positional Preview: Quarterbacks

Everything about the Miami Hurricanes’ 2022 season should be burned with fire. Game tapes. Memories. All of it.

But, unfortunately, it happened, and at the very least it means the floor from which to progress is at an all-time low.

And that includes the quarterback position. What does the QB room look like as we approach fall camp in Coral Gables? Let’s take a closer glance…

Tyler Van Dyke

I was so high on Van Dyke coming off his 2021 season. It was hard not to be. With 2931 passing yards and 25 TDs to 6 INTs, Van Dyke looked like one of the best quarterbacks in the ACC after the season ended. Van Dyke and former OC Rhett Lashlee worked together well, and the offense was solid.

Unfortunately, that was where the good times ended. Former OC Josh Gattis’ scheme could not have been less of a fit for Van Dyke’s skillset last year. The shoulder injury he suffered after landing on it during a tackle against Duke basically took him out of commission for the rest of the season.

With Gattis gone and Van Dyke having had a full offseason to get over the shoulder injury, the hopes are there that he can get in 2023 where fans hoped he’d end up in 2022: as a top-tier QB in the ACC.

And with new offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson, he can potentially get there.

Dawson’s 2022 prodigy, QB Clayton Tune, had a tremendous year last fall. Tune completed 334 of 496 attempts (67.3%) for 4074 yards with 40 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. Dawson’s “Air Raid” offense, while not the same as Lashlee’s, is a far better fit than whatever we saw last year.

Miami’s putrid offensive line should also be far better this fall, with Javion Cohen, Matt Lee, Samson Okunlola, and Francis Mauigoa added to the mix. If someone can make plays outside of Xavier Restrepo and Colbie Young in the wide receiver group, then there is a viable opportunity for Van Dyke and the Miami offense to take a large step forward in 2023.

Regardless, Van Dyke will be locked in at QB1 when the season rolls around.

Jacurri Brown

Brown got an opportunity last fall when Van Dyke went down with a shoulder injury, and he simply couldn’t take advantage of the opportunity.

It was a dreadfully difficult situation for the freshman, to be fair. Taking over a struggling offense featuring a leaky offensive line, no playmaking wide receivers, and an offensive coordinator seemingly clueless on how to fix it was the worst possible scenario for Brown to break into college football.

As mentioned, Van Dyke will be back under center as the team’s QB1. However, Dawson would be wise to find ways to use Brown’s dual threat ability in a limited play package. Brown should also get first crack at opportunities in potential blowouts to get comfortable with the offense in a game setting.

Don’t give up on Brown. He’s still a dynamic playmaker who could develop into something very good.

The rest: Emory Williams, Jayden George, Aristides Angelo, Jr.

Williams is the only player on scholarship in the group. Williams committed to Miami in June 2022 over offers from Auburn, FSU, Pitt, and Cal, among many others. He has a strong arm and deceptive speed when he takes off with the ball. His ceiling could be far higher than the level of attention teams gave him during his recruiting. His playing style could fit very well into Dawson’s offense – at least eventually. He will likely slot in as the third-string QB once fall camp is over…although it’s not totally out of the question he could play his way into the backup role if he shines and Brown flops.

George, the son of former NFL QB Jeff George, transferred in from Bowling Green and is a walk on, same as Angelo, Jr., who played at Miami LaSalle High School. Neither should factor into Miami’s 2023 plans as long as both Van Dyke and Brown stay healthy this fall.

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This is a big, big year for Miami, after what can only be described as the most disappointing season in Coral Gables since the 1970s. The excitement and promise from Mario Cristobal’s hire in 2021 is way over. It’s time for Miami to start beating the teams they should and competing with the teams they should.

And it starts largely with the offensive coordinator and QB1 being on the same page. If Van Dyke can turn back the clock to 2021 and jump into Dawson’s offense quickly, 2023 could represent the stark improvement Miami fans are hoping to see.

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