Season recap: Dontez Tyler
Scott Privott knew right away that he wasn't getting Dontez Tyler's best.
The Hertford County (N.C.) coach had witnessed the Maryland-bound defensive end’s development from a lanky basketball player to a Division I football recruit over the course of the previous three seasons. Naturally, Privott expected big things from Tyler this fall, but was underwhelmed early on.
“He got off to a slow start,” Privott said. “A lot of times when you commit, you get off to a slow start. … Some kids commit early and are playing not to get hurt. But he just had to go out there every day and play his best.”
Convincing Tyler that he needed to perform at a higher level wasn’t a tall order for Privott. Player and coach had a “man-to-man talk.” Meeting the “lofty expectations” saddled to an ACC-bound player that every opponent targeted was something Privott and Tyler discussed at length.
“He understood,” Privott said. “He was very, very receptive. He was receptive to what we talked about. We watched some film, and he knew where we were coming from. … He came on and played better toward the end of the year. He turned it on for us at the end of the year. I was very pleased with the results he gave us this year.”
Tyler, a 6-foot-4, 225-pound senior, finished the season with 50 tackles and eight sacks. At wide receiver and tight end, the future Terp caught eight passes for 129 yards and three touchdowns, helping Hertford County to an 8-4 record and a berth in the North Carolina 3A state playoffs. The Bears suffered a 35-19 loss to Southern Wayne in the first round, but Tyler finished strong and showed why he was coveted by Arkansas, East Carolina and Virginia, among others.
“I think his speed and athleticism really helps him out,” Privott said. “He’s a 4.7 guy, about 225 pounds. He’s strong as well as he is fast. That’s what sets him apart from another kid who’s playing the same position.”
Tyler is an obvious redshirt candidate for the Terps as a freshman. Privott said Tyler’s main goal freshmen year will be to add bulk to his 225-pound frame. A 30-pound weight gain is doable, in Privott’s opinion. Once he adds that strength and size, Tyler has a straightforward assignment from the Maryland coaching staff.
“They just want him to make plays,” Privott said. “They want him to rush the passer. He’s probably going to play on the weakside. They like the way he gets off the ball. That’s really what they want to see.”
Comments
Sounds like a wasted scholarship.
Posted by: w | December 9, 2010 3:29 PM
matt
any news on the big man front for gary. after losing berau,are we close with anybody else who is a top calibur player.we have already seen when we compete against the better teams we are suffering inside.please update us on what is going on.also why has gary given such a small amount of playing time to our new forwards, especially against lower calibur compition.they need playing time now in order to help us in the acc games.
Posted by: larry | December 10, 2010 7:53 AM
w -- He's definitely not a finished product, but there's plenty of upside there. Definitely someone worth taking a chance on, in my opinion.
larry -- I wrote about the big-man situation in this week's roundup. Desmond Hubert is by far the top candidate. Your question on the new forwards can probably be better answered by Jeff Barker. I'd just be speculating.
Posted by: Matt Bracken | December 10, 2010 2:45 PM