ANALYSIS: Tyler Van Dyke getting preseason Heisman buzz

The post-spring Heisman Trophy odds for the coming season were released over the weekend by FoxBet, and checking in at No. 6 was Miami Hurricanes QB Tyler Van Dyke.

Van Dyke, with odds of +3000, was tied with Ole Miss' Jaxson Dart (+3000), ahead of Pitt transfer QB Kedon Slovis, Oklahoma transfer QB Dillon Gabriel, Texas QB Quinn Ewers (+4000). And Van Dyke was right on the heels of Clemson QB D.J. Uiagalelei and Texas RB Bijan Robinson (+2500).

Atop the list, no surprise, was Alabama QB and reigning Heisman winner Bryce Young at +200. No. 2 is Ohio State QB C.J. Stroud at +350 with USC QB Caleb Williams third (+1000).

Van Dyke is the first Miami Hurricane with this kind of serious Heisman buzz in a long time, dating back to when Ken Dorsey and Willis McGahee were both in the mix in 2002. The last time UM had a Heisman winner was 30 years ago, when Gino Torretta took the honor after a stellar 1992 season. Vinny Testaverde is the only other Cane to win the Heisman, in 1986.

So could 2022 be the year Van Dyke adds a third Heisman to UM's trophy shelf?

To do so he likely will need to not only have stats that likely approach 40 TD passes, but also be part of a playoff team.

The former?

Well, based on his final six games of 2021 he'll be right on track for that. He finished his 2021 redshirt freshman year starting 10 game after D'Eriq King's season-ending injury, and he had 25 TD passes and six INTs, averaging 293.1 yards passing. But over those last half dozen games (against Pitt, Georgia Tech, FSU, Virginia Tech and Duke) he threw 20 touchdowns with three interceptions.

Extrapolate that to a 12-game regular season and you've got your 40 TDs.

The playoff part of the equation? Well, the Coastal only has one pretty tough opponent on paper right now, Pitt. And the only difficult other games should be Clemson and Texas A&M, with annual rival FSU expected to still have some struggles. So the schedule isn't too bad.

As for the Cane team itself?

The defense was reshaped by the transfer portal, with five new defensive linemen added as well as a linebacker and cornerback. With most of the talent back, the D should be improved.

The offense loses top receivers Charleston Rambo and Mike Harley, but the tight ends have a very strong room and the O line should be better. Plus the run game added transfer Henry Parrish and has Jaylan Knighton back ... and both are excellent receiving backs, which will help Van Dyke's stats. So really the big question is if there are some wideouts like Xavier Restrepo, Jacolby George, Clemson transfer Frank Ladson, Key'Shawn Smith, Brashard Smith or others ready to step up. If that happens, with Josh Gattis the new play caller (who had experience at 'Bama in that high powered attack), watch out.

Aside from Texas A&M, Clemson and Pitt, there are no defenses on the schedule that Van Dyke shouldn't be able to carve apart fairly easily. And the Pitt and Clemson secondaries were the weaker points of their defenses a year ago.

Now consider this: Last year was Van Dyke's first year starting, and he entered the year expecting to spend the season as a backup to King. Think there will be a different emphasis on him and his preparation this time around with that knowledge under his belt?

Heck, as a first-year guy he even outplayed what many were calling a Heisman candidate last year in Pitt's Kenny Pickett - Van Dyke threw for 426 yards with 3 TDs in that game. And Pickett wound up the No. 20 overall pick in the NFL Draft.

Another interesting aspect: Those that know him say he's a real student of the game. And you can see that in his progression from his first two real starts against Virginia (15-29, 203 yards, TD) and UNC (20-45, 264 yards, 0 TDs, 3 INTS) to the games that followed.

The bottom line?

Van Dyke might be a dark horse right now in the FoxBet odds, but if everything falls into place he should be right there in contention with the nation's best players to win the Heisman in 2022.

So while we aren't encouraging anyone to bet, certainly we would not bet against Van Dyke being right in the race.