Let's reminisce shall we?

The year was 2021, and Miami put all its faith in Houston transfer D'Eriq King who is back for his second year with the Hurricanes. After a blowout loss to Alabama and a near loss to Appalachian State, Miami hosted Michigan State on a hot afternoon at Hard Rock Stadium. The Hurricanes will fall to the Spartans 38-17 that day and King to a season-ending knee injury. The Tyler Van Dyke era started on that day and 'TVD' would make his first start in the following week against Central Connecticut State.

Van Dyke awed in his first season as starting quarterback, earning ACC Rookie of the Year and ACC Offensive Rookie of the Year honors. He started the final nine games of the season and saw action in 10 games total.

He ended the year throwing for 2,931 yards and 25 passing touchdowns to just six interceptions and completed 62.3 percent of pass attempts (202 of 324) and one rushing touchdown.

TVD earned ACC Rookie of the Week five times over the course of the year and ended the season with six straight games with at least 300 passing yards and at least three touchdown passes.

He became the first Power-5 quarterback to record such a streak in a single season since Joe Burrow 2019 Heisman Trophy-winning campaign at LSU. Van Dyke moved into a tie for seventh place in Miami Football history in single-season touchdown passes and posted the sixth-best single-season completion percentage in Miami history.

Miami ended the year with a 7-5 record.

Here are some reasons why Van Dyke should outperform the 2021 season in 2023.

From a sheer numbers standpoint, Van Dyke should eclipse his 2021 totals. Van Dyke did not play much in those first two games, so two games will certainly help to clear the 2,931 passing yards and 25 touchdown totals.

The real question will be can he reduce his interception total that year to six or lower? If TVD can get under six interceptions and pass for 3,000 yards and 30 touchdowns then I would predict that Miami will win at least nine games this season.

Tyler Van Dyke strived under offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee in 2021 and regressed under former Miami OC Josh Gattis in 2022. New offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson should put Tyler Van Dyke right back into his comfort zone.

In his previous two seasons at Houston, the Cougars ranked 5th (2021) and 1st (2022) in passing grades according to Pro Football Focus.

Houston quarterback Clayton Tune thrived in those two seasons. In 2021, Tune passed for 3,546 yards, 30 touchdowns, and ten interceptions. In year two, with Dawson as the OC, Tune improved to 4,069 passing yards, 40 touchdowns, and ten interceptions.

Houston when 8-5 in 2022 and 12-2 in 2021.

Last year, TVD suffered through a tumultuous 5-7 season. He suffered a shoulder injury in a 45-21 loss to Duke mid-season and was never the same since.

The injury came on a sack as the offensive line battled through injuries itself throughout the year. He ended 2022 with 1,835 yards passing, ten touchdowns, and five interceptions.

This season the O-Line should be improved in quality and overall depth. The additions of transfers Matt Lee and Javion Cohen certainly provide Miami with experience and versatility. Lee had an impressive year last season.

Cohen put together his best season last year scoring a 72.6 offensive grade and an 80.8 pass blocking grade.

Jalen Rivers, who started at left tackle in the spring, put together a career-best 73.3 pass-blocking grade in 2022. Anez Cooper, who the coaches have raved about in spring, is one of the most talented returning offensive linemen who had some crushing blocks last year.

Zion Nelson returning could do wonders for the O-Line He’s returning for a fifth season but didn't play much in 2022. Nelson played just 61 snaps due to a knee injury, but his 84.6 pass-blocking grade across the 2020 and 2021 seasons ranked ninth among Power Five tackles. If he can improve as a run blocker and stay healthy, he could reenter the first-round conversation.

Miami also put together a nice haul with its 2023 recruiting class bringing in five-star Francis Mauigoa, Samson Okunlola, Tommy Kinsler, Antonio Tripp, and Frankie Tinilau.

Mauigoa has a legitimate chance to start this season and attrition could provide opportunities for other freshmen to get some playing time.

The freshman class provides depth for this season to help protect Tyler Van Dyke in 2023 and future signal callers.

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