Once the time came to weight his options and make a decision, it did not take long for Amir Tyler to feel Temple was the right fit for him. The 3-star Lakewood (NJ) High School defensive back verbally committed to the Owls on Dec. 13 and is expected to sign his national letter of intent on National Signing Day next week.
Owls head coach Matt Rhule and his staff have been recruiting Tyler since his sophomore season, and that interest set things in motion.
“Soon as they showed interest in me,” Tyler told OwlScoop.com, “everyone started coming after me, like Syracuse, Rutgers and Pitt.”
Temple assistant coaches Ed Foley (tight ends) and Francis Brown (defensive backs) had the most influence throughout the recruiting process, Tyler said. Foley, who recruits heavily in New Jersey, was involved with Tyler’s recruitment from the start, and Brown made sure to stay on top of him knowing he could be coaching him in the secondary.
Before Tyler made strong connections with Rhule and his staff, he had another tie to Temple in former Lakewood standout Chapelle Russell, a redshirt freshman linebacker who is expected to make an impact in his first season next fall. Russell, who changed his last name from Cook after high school, chose Temple over offers from Pitt, Rutgers, Wisconsin and Boston College.
“(Russell) had a lot of influence on my decision,” Tyler said. “He didn’t force me to (commit), but he was telling me how everything was going.”
Tyler, who attended one of Rhule’s one-day camps back in June, has played on both sides of the ball in high school. He tallied 968 yards and 17 touchdowns as a running back and collected 35 tackles and two interceptions – both of which he returned for touchdowns – as a safety, but he said Temple’s coaches made the decision on where he’ll play in college easy.
“I talked to Coach Rhule and the rest of the staff, and they said they would see me best at safety,” Tyler said. “I asked, ‘What do you think is my best position?’ And he said, ‘What are you trying to do, go to college or make it to the league (NFL)?’ And I said, ‘The league.””
Tyler, at 6 feet and 195 pounds, has good size for the safety position. He can come to the line and make a play in the box but also has the ability to play back in coverage. Tyler said the coaches will move him around to see where he fits best for defensive coordinator Phil Snow, who will be looking to replace three senior safeties in Will Hayes, Alex Wells and Boye Aromire.
“I am just hoping to come in strong and bring energy to the team,” Tyler said.