Miami quarterback used Bama interest to prop up NIL deal with Hurricanes
By WVUA23 Digital Reporter Sam Thornton
TUSCALOOSA-University of Miami quarterback Tyler Van Dyke was close to putting his name in the transfer portal this offseason before deciding to return to the Hurricanes.
What Van Dyke wanted the most was to gain earnings in name, image and likeness (NIL) deals, whether that be at Miami or another storied football program. One school Van Dyke was rumored to be interested in was Alabama, which has dominated the landscape of NIL in football most recently, with former quarterback Bryce Young holding a valuation of $3.5 million.
Van Dyke wasn’t going to generate the same earnings at Miami, so he used a tactic we’ve yet to see for the benefit of negotiation in the NIL era. Van Dyke used the leverage of Alabama’s interest to secure more value in NIL deals at Miami.
“I think Tyler Van Dyke’s representatives knew that and I think they took advantage of Alabama’s interest in him to get a better deal out of Miami,” Cane Sport’s Gary Ferman told On3Sports.
Who knows if Van Dyke’s interest in Alabama was real, but we see this strategy often used in professional sports while constructing player’s contracts. With increased player empowerment and revenue among major league sports, it’s easy for players to flirt with other teams to obtain the money they believe is reflective of their talents.
When a high profile brand like Alabama is mentioned, it immediately puts programs on notice to react for their players desired value. Player empowerment has trickled to the NCAA with the adoption of NIL deals throughout all collegiate sports.
Even with the rumored interest Van Dyke had in the Crimson Tide, Alabama head coach Nick Saban wasn’t guaranteed to give the quarterback the NIL money he wanted. Saban has expressed his feelings about these situations before.
“Someone with one of the best corners in the nation came to me and asked if we’d pay them $800,000 for the player to sign here. I told him he can find another place to play. I’m not paying a kid a bunch of NIL money before he earns it,” Saban said, per Fox.
After a stellar 2021 season with the Hurricanes, Van Dyke struggled in 2022 throwing for 10 touchdowns and five interceptions in five games before an injury sidelined him for the remainder of the year.
