6:00: Morning News

No longer in utility futility, Jeremy Tyler fills WVU’s free safety void

West Virginia safety Jeremy Tyler (24) makes a jarring hit during the Mountaineers’ 30-6 win over Iowa State last season in Morgantown.

 

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — For lack of a better nickname, Jeremy Tyler has long been Mr. Runner-Up in the West Virginia secondary.

See 2014: He was edged out at free safety by heralded freshman Dravon Askew-Henry.

Or 2015, when Karl Joseph’s torn ACL created a vacancy at bandit safety that Jarrod Harper filled.

Or rewind to the beginning of this year’s preseason camp, when Tyler showed presence at Spur safety only to be stuck behind Kyzir White.

Always good enough to compete for jobs yet never quite able to win them, Tyler seemed destined to spend his senior season in utility futility again. Then Askew-Henry’s knee ligament snapped during practice Aug. 10, and Tyler emerged as the team’s most valuable insurance policy.

Leaving behind the linebacker physicality required at Spur, Tyler showed he still has the field-roaming speed needed at free safety. Now, 10 days before the Mountaineers open the season against Missouri, he’s in line to make only his second career start.

“Jeremy has the tools to do whatever we want him to do,” said West Virginia safeties coach Matt Caponi. “He’s a good boundary safety, and he showed a couple years ago—and the last two scrimmages—that he’s a pretty darn good free safety too.”

“It’s the versatility of how well he moves, how well he understands the scheme and understands the game; plus his ability to do things in zone coverage and in man coverage.”

Caponi prefers “guys who are interchangeable,” and no one in the secondary brandishes the crossover label like Tyler, whose offers coming out of Lithonia, Ga., included five SEC schools, four Big Ten programs and three ACC schools. His only previous college start came in 2013 in the final game of his freshman season, after injuries sidelined Darwin Cook and KJ Dillon.

Though there’s another injury tied his promotion this time, there’s a season full of promise ahead of Tyler and enough history to make coaches hopeful he can mitigate the loss of WVU’s top defensive NFL prospect.

“Jeremy has always been a guy we’ve counted on,” defensive coordinator Tony Gibson said. “He knows what we expect, and he has taken that role at free safety and run with it.”

Tyler’s plug-and-play adaptability showed when he made two interceptions in a defense-dominated scrimmage Aug. 13, less than 24 hours after Askew-Henry’s MRI revealed serious damage. Tyler’s performance has remained steady enough to hold off second-teamer Toyous Avery and coaches shifted former free safety backup Khairi Sharif to Bandit.

Said Dana Holgorsen of Tyler: “He looks good there.”





More Sports

Sports
Beanie Bishop posts top 40-yard dash time at Big 12 Pro Day
March 29, 2024 - 1:21 am
High School Sports
Herbert Hoover improves to 10-0 with 2-1 win over Hurricane
The Huskies collected a pair of victories Thursday in the Guard the Capital Invitational in Charleston.
March 29, 2024 - 12:51 am
High School Sports
Independence bests Wahama, 10-2 in the Guard the Capital Tournament
March 28, 2024 - 9:03 pm
High School Sports
Photo gallery: University defeats Bridgeport, 12-3
March 28, 2024 - 6:24 pm