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SMU has landed a commitment from former Wisconsin and Miami quarterback Tyler Van Dyke, his agent told 247Sports. Though Van Dyke only has one year of eligibility remaining and transfers to the Hilltop while recovering from a major knee injury, his familiarity with SMU’s staff and offensive inner workings make this a natural connection even while rehabbing.
Van Dyke tore his ACL at Wisconsin stretching for a first down in the loss to Alabama last September, forcing him to miss the rest of the 2024 season. It’s unlikely he’ll be a full participant in spring, but he’ll have a chance to return for the 2025 season.
When healthy, Van Dyke has been one of the most productive quarterbacks in the country. The Connecticut native completed 63.7% of passes for 7,891 yards and 55 touchdowns in 35 career games. He led the ACC with 9.0 yards per attempt during his freshman season at Miami in 2021.
At SMU, Van Dyke will slot behind starting quarterback Kevin Jennings and bring a veteran presence to a young room. Longtime starter Preston Stone transferred to Northwestern after losing the starting job. Backup Keldric Luster has nine career attempts.
Jennings threw for 3,245 yards, rushed for 354 yards and scored 28 total touchdowns during a breakout 2024 season. However, he played his worst game during a 38-10 loss to 6-seed Penn State in the College Football Playoff, throwing three interceptions and two pick sixes.
Miami connections a factor
Van Dyke reunites with Lashlee, his former offensive coordinator with the Hurricanes. During a breakout freshman season, Van Dyke moved into the starting lineup at Miami and completed 62% of passes for 2,931 yards, 25 touchdowns and six interceptions. After his debut, Van Dyke was viewed as a potential future star in college football.
After the 2021 season, Lashlee left to take the SMU job. Van Dyke never came close to replicating the success he had under Lashlee’s coaching. In a twist, Van Dyke was pushed into the lineup after an injury to former Miami starting quarterback D’Eriq King, who is now quarterbacks coach at SMU under Lashlee.
What role will he play?
Jennings is entrenched as the starter at SMU despite his poor finish to the season. Van Dyke comes to the Hilltop in 2025 understanding that there’s not a pathway for him to win the starting job. However, his injury means that University Park might be the perfect place for him to rehab his career.
At SMU, he reunites with Lashlee, who coached him to the best moments of his career. And depending on his recovery timeline, Van Dyke could pursue a medical redshirt after the 2025 season with a shot to either start for SMU or transfer to another program in 2026. For SMU, Van Dyke adds some stability to the room and a far more proven option should Jennings suffer an injury or setback.
And even if Van Dyke does not start and is not granted an extra year, Lashlee has a strong track record with quarterbacks. One additional year of development could give Van Dyke the best situation possible to set himself up for an NFL career.
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