Tyler Van Dyke starts by stating he would like to be part of the process of selecting a future transfer offensive lineman. He thinks the transfer portal is important to address depth issues on a football team.
Van Dyke thinks he is adapting well to the offense and that this is the "best that everyone's learned" the scheme since he's been at Miami. He shared that new offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson allows him to play with 'freedom.'
The Miami quarterback is looking to have fun in the spring game and have a balance with the run-and-pass game. He also thinks safety Kamren Kinchens will take the defense to another level. He feels the defense overall has helped him develop as an QB and that it in the past it's been very 'vanilla' in the spring.
Van Dyke also mentioned in order Cam McCormick (dealing with a calf injury), Jaleel Skinner, Riley Williams, and Jackson Carver are standouts at the tight end position.
The fourth-year junior also mentioned that Nathaniel Joseph and Robby Washington get great separation with their routes and are 'savvy' players as freshmen. Van Dyke also mentioned that Isaiah Horton is definitely going to help the team this season.
Best Quote
On which receiver he has developed the most connection this spring
"Yeah, Colbie Young. You see him working over there on the jug machine. Just really connected a lot with him this spring. He's really come a long way since he got here last summer. He's going to play a very important role this fall for us. I'm excited to see that for him."
Kinchens downplayed the recognition of becoming an All-American and said that there is 'more work to do.' He feels Markeith Williams has taken the next step and has developed in all areas.
He described the new defensive coordinator Lance Guidry's scheme as 'very different' and "last year that there wasn't too much we did" when comparing defenses. He also called the defense "easy to grasp."
The junior safety communicated that the defense as a whole is putting in extra work to understand scheme and wants to see effort and competitiveness in the spring game.
Kinchens is looking to know the defense two steps ahead of his teammates so he can help lead them on the field.
He also shared that the offense is going more vertical than last year.
Best Quote
On what the goals are for the team after the spring game
"Making sure that we don't take a step back and just regress even though we took all this progress throughout spring. Don't let these few weeks where we might not be like out there actually physically practicing to let it take away from the mental side of the game."
Center Matt Lee feels each player has taken another step in progression during spring practice. The junior said Ryan Rodriquez has been backing him up as the number two center. Lee said that Francis Mauigoa is a lot more advanced than most 17-year-olds are at his age.
He also shared how offensive line coach Alex Mirabal not only elevates the play of the O-line, but the entire offense.
Lee mentioned Ahmad Moten, Jacob Lichtenstein, Nyjalik Kelly as players that have stood out to him this spring. Lee also shared his experience of Van Dyke visiting him before he made his commitment to Miami.
Best Quote
On how Lance Guidry's defense has helped prepare the offensive line
"He runs a lot of stuff. A lot of complicated stuff. A lot of different fronts. A lot of stuff that you probably wouldn't know what to do until you go against it and you get told by your coach okay this is how you block this. And I say that's really good because a lot of teams don't run...they're not as multiple as he is running his defense. A lot of teams are going to run a lot of base defense and they pop here, and they might do this, and they might just have a few other fronts, they might go even, they might go odd and they might go big, but stuff isn't as complicated so it's a lot more base defense. Going against his defense on a daily basis, they're running a lot of stuff and a lot of stuff can be confusing if you're not your stuff, not on your shit so, going against that every day is a lot better and through camp leading up to the season a lot of teams aren't going to be as multiple as that and it gets you that more ready."
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