Emory Williams explains how Tyler Van Dyke helped him during first start at Miami
On Saturday, freshman quarterback Emory Williams made his first start for the Miami Hurricanes against the Clemson Tigers. He did so in place of Tyler Van Dyke, one of the ACC’s most experienced quarterbacks, who missed the game due to an injury.
Still, Van Dyke made his impact felt on the game, helping Williams to prepare for his first start.
“It was a special moment,” Emory Williams said. “TVD. I love TVD. We have a great quarterback room, me, TVD, JB. We’re all super close. Just to see his excitement for me is, it means the world for me, and I’m his biggest fan. So, he was with me every step of the way. Couldn’t be more proud to be his teammate.”
Miami beat Clemson in a double-overtime thriller. Emory Williams, given it was his first start against an excellent defense, played well. He completed 24 of 33 passes for 151 yards. He also threw a touchdown and an interception.
“He was always — anytime I came off to the sideline, he was, ‘Hey, this is kind of what I saw,’ and I told him about some things I did. He was like, ‘Eh, you know,’ and he was right. I’m glad he was there because I wouldn’t have been able to do what I did without him.”
Miami is still Tyler Van Dyke’s team. However, Emory Williams flashed a lot of talent and that he’s capable of being the future of the program. Williams was a three-star recruit who was ranked as the No. 36 quarterback prospect in the country, according to the On3 Industry Rankings for the 2023 cycle.
Once Van Dyke is healthy, he’s set to return to the starting role. However, until then, he’s willing to help Williams continue to grow as a player, like he did during the game on Saturday.
“I would just come and it’s like, ‘Hey, I saw this and I checked this,’ and he was like, ‘Eh, you know probably not the wisest,'” Emory Williams said. “And he was right because that wasn’t the wisest. Something like that, or I would go to him and he was like, ‘This matchup is there. You can take it.’ He was right. So, everything he advised me was spot on. That’s why it’s great, having a veteran guy like TVD and it’s great to have him as a friend.”
Mario Cristobal shares injury update on Tyler Van Dyke after missing Clemson game
Tyler Van Dyke was a game-time decision against Clemson and, ultimately, wasn’t able to play in the game. Now, his status moving forward this season is uncertain and Miami head coach Mario Cristobal explained that he’s not ready to decide if Van Dyke will play next week against Virginia.
“He is doing well. He was good to go and in the middle of the week it flared up and caught us off guard,” Cristobal said.
“It was the right thing to play Emory because he was getting most of the reps. We feel like he will be good to go next week, but I will hold off comment on that until we get back to the training room so I can give you more accurate data.”