Another change in UM’s offense that was needed and will help Van Dyke. And personnel notes

A six-pack of Miami Hurricanes notes on a Wednesday:

▪ Among the several positive changes in the Canes’ offense this offseason, in the transition from Josh Gattis to new coordinator Shannon Dawson:

Tyler Van Dyke has more autonomy to get UM out of bad situations.

“Coach Dawson gives the quarterbacks a lot of control out there,” Van Dyke said this week. “We’re getting into run play, get into a pass play possibly, vice versa, depends what the defense gives you, or different routes in general.”

Elaborating on that and the offense overall, Van Dyke said: “It’s been good. There’s a lot of different ways that he gets to plays in the run game, pass game, which is good.

“When you first get used to a new offense, it takes a while because you have to install new plays and then with RPOs, passes, runs, and you have to figure out ways to get out of some plays in tough situations that the defense proposes.

“That’s where we’re kind of at right now, which is good. We’ve installed most of our stuff and we’re kind of seeing what the defense gives us and maybe changing plays here and there and playing more like a game now.”

Dawson’s offense is expected to feature more spread elements than Gattis’, and UM hopes that will create more dynamic plays.

Among the things that Mario Cristobal likes about Dawson is that he “inspires belief in a system.”

Cristobal told the 247 Podcast with Andrew Ivins that Dawson “is a guy I came across 12 years ago. He had shown he can do it on the ground and yet he was able to take the Air Raid system and combine it with downhill run game and produce explosive plays while understanding there are times you have to have balance and sometimes you have to do what you have to do and go score.”

Cristobal said “if you have an exciting offense at the University of Miami, wow, things change in a hurry. Go back and throw on tape. [And you will see that] what really identified the Miami offense was it was explosive, it was powerful in the run game but stretch the field and make big plays in the pass game. We expect really, really strong results this spring which will carry over into the summer and fall and show the type of offense this team can be.”

▪ Van Dyke, on the two young quarterbacks behind him:

Jacurri Brown “has grown a lot. For him it’s just his feet, his base. Sometimes he reverts back to his old habits, but he’s getting a lot better. From last year to now, some of his throws wow me a little bit. He’s progressing really well.”

Brown must improve his accuracy, and Dawson’s hiring could help.

Meanwhile, Van Dyke said freshman QB Emory Williams “is going to be a great player. Very smart, very accurate. He has a lot to learn still, still should be in high school. He is picking up everything fast.”

As for Van Dyke, Cristobal said this week: “He’s grown a ton [from last year]. We are doing a good job finding a better supporting cast for him now. It’s hard to be in the pocket; last year, he took a lot of shots and got hurt. I think a lot of guys would have just packed in it, just given up and moved on. He was the opposite. He wants to see Miami be great.

“This offense is really tailored to his skillset, and he’s taken a tremendous step as a leader. Really accurate in the passing game, done a really good job with protections, getting us into the right plays.”

▪ Could five-star offensive linemen Francis Mauigoa and Samson Okunlola start immediately?

Mauigoa has received first team right tackle snaps this spring. Okunlola has been the second-team left tackle behind Jalen Rivers.

“They’re long, athletic, explosive,” Cristobal told Ivins. “They’re about as elite a freshman as you can find, 6-5 1/2, both 325, 335 range. Body fat 18.4 and 18.9. I won’t say who was chubbier. Their GPS numbers and ability to retain information is really, really impressive. They’ll be in the mix.

“They’re getting great mentorship from Anez Cooper, Jalen Rivers. We look very different up front. This was massive overhaul of the trenches and the tight end spot.”

▪ Cristobal loves his freshman class: With Reuben Bain, he’s “270 pounds right now and the motor is what stuck out right away. He always gives me flak, had a sack on the final drive against my high school, Columbus. Relentlessness defines him. He’s really technically advanced and naturally powerful. This guy is like a rocketship...explosive with power.”

Freshman receivers Nathaniel Joseph and Robby Washington “we felt… were the best in the country in playing slot. And they have versatility. They play outside as well.”

▪ Cristobal has been blunt about last year’s struggles and what was left for him by the previous regime.

Miami “goes through its worst stretch of draft picks, arguably its worst stretch of recruiting and culture,” he said. “There are going to be some lumps that come with it.”

▪ Guard Bensley Joseph continues to emerge for the Canes’ basketball team; he scored Miami’s only five points off the bench against Texas on Sunday.

“Bensley is one of those guys who has a unique ability to put a lot of pressure on the basketball,” coach Jim Larranaga said, as UM continues preparing for Saturday’s Final 4 semifinal against Connecticut in Houston (8:49 p.m., CBS). “Some guys can guard you, but he puts a lot of pressure on you. We’re going to need that.

“He has the ability to defend multiple guys, which allows us to put him in with Nijel Pack. He is a very very good spot up three-point shooter; his catch and shoot threes he shoots at a very high level. He’s a good ball handler, good free throw shooter and he rebounds.”

Joseph shot a solid 38.5 percent (33 for 86) on threes this season.