OC Dawson Details Coming to Miami, Quarterback Play, Air Raid Offense

When looking back at newly hired Miami offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson’s first chance to speak with the media after practice on Tuesday, a few interesting points stood out.

One, his comment about coming to The U.

“What are you talking about, man? I mean look at this place right?” As Dawson pointed to all the cool surroundings for the Miami practice facility.

“This is an opportunity of a lifetime. I grew up watching those national championships (as Dawson pointed to Miami’s national titles). So I pinch myself every day coming out here.”

"Sometimes dreams come true." –Shannon Dawson on joining the staff at The U.

More on the explosive offense @CoachDawson_UM is bringing to the Hurricanes. 👇
— Miami Hurricanes Football (@CanesFootball) March 7, 2023

After that, an interesting point came up about the air raid offense and what it does in relation to passing and running the football. Dawson had a really unique answer.

“In my opinion, there’s no such thing as the air raid offense anymore.”

Let that comment sink in for just a moment. No air raid offense? Is that not the offense that Dawson was known for operating? Dawson clarified his original statement.

“We’ve evolved to be…I think 10 or 12 years ago, when we went to West Virginia, we had a bunch of tight ends on the roster so we had to use those guys, right?

“And, play more into the strengths of your team. Running the football, and playing with tight ends, builds culture. Builds physical culture on both sides of the ball. We’re never going to go away from that.

“We are going to run the ball effectively. What I’ve found through the years, when I started my career off, throwing (the football) more than I do now obviously. But you can throw it for more yards if you run it better.

“Because defenses will play down (in the box), right? I want to throw it less, but I want to throw it for more yards. Does that make sense?”’

In one sense, Dawson’s comments meant that he’s evolved with the times; the air raid has adapted to the personnel. It also meant he wanted to make defenses pay for putting an extra defender in the box to slow down the Canes’ rushing attack.

Here’s what coach Dawson stated about quarterback Tyler Van Dyke, a player that will be making passes down the field to beat those defenses.

“Tyler…You know, elite player, right?

“My job is to get him to understand our offense as quickly as possible. He is a very good fit for our offense. He is a very accurate thrower of the football. His football IQ is sky rocket. I mean he picks up things very quickly. I have been here (for) three weeks. So, we are probably doing things at a rate that I wasn’t anticipating because of him.”

Later on in the interview, Dawson came back to Van Dyke. His statement gave some insight into what he thinks of where Miami’s offense sits right now.

“I mean, Tyler is the guy, right?”

One can take from that statement what he or she will, but that probably means that the quarterback position would be Van Dyke’s to lose. Just keep that in mind.

Dawson also discussed the other two signal callers on scholarship for the Canes – Jacurri Brown and Emory Williams – with the media.

“Same thing, I mean obviously, JB has been here, so you can tell he’s a mature kid. Probably one of the better skill sets I’ve seen with a kid. I mean, he can do everything, really.

“Emory, he should still be in high school, right? So, we’re going to bring him along, but he’s got some skill sets, too. We haven’t put pads on yet, so I’m going to reserve opinions on a lot of players.

“But I do like their eagerness. Attitudes are off the charts.”

Has the air raid changed towards a more mobile quarterback? Dawson chimed in.

“Every scheme is (adaptable), but human beings sometimes aren’t. Because they’re hard-headed, right? Every scheme is adaptable.”

With that statement in mind, remember that Dawson took what was otherwise considered to be a pro-style quarterback in Clayton Tune and allowed to run the football last year for Houston.

Tune accumulated 546 yards and 5 touchdowns on the ground in 2022. The prior two seasons combined for the Cougars, Tune had 407 yards and 7 touchdowns. Tune evolved with the changes that Dawson had instituted as Houston’s offensive coordinator.

That does not mean Van Dyke will be taking off a whole lot, but that also does not mean that Brown will automatically sit on the bench all the time if Van Dyke is indeed the starting signal caller.

Look for Dawson to find a multitude of ways for his signal callers – and the Miami offense overall – to adapt.

Here's the full interview from Dawson:

AllHurricanes.com is your home for all things Miami Hurricanes football, recruiting, basketball and other athletics, all the time. Follow along on social media at @AllHurricanes on Twitter and All Hurricanes on Facebook for round-the-clock news and analysis.