Al Golden has shown he isn’t afraid to add players to the program who have taken circuitous routes to the division-1 level. That looks like it will eventually be the case with Tyler Odems (6’, 230), a class of 2012 prospect originally from Manassas, Virginia. Odems is planning to enroll at Miami in January as a preferred walk-on. The physical linebacker explained his unique situation.
“Last fall, I was supposed to go play for West Virginia. Some things with the NCAA clearinghouse got messed up so I had to leave and I went to junior college up in Franklin, Massachusetts (Dean College) and I played spring ball there and opened up my recruiting, where schools like North Carolina, Texas Tech, Ole Miss, and Cal were contacting me, but then Miami came. Miami told me they wanted me and that they wanted me before and if you do good and get your grades good then you can be a part of the team. I didn’t meet the correct standards for the NCAA so I do have to wait one more semester until the spring and then I’ll be on the team,” said Odems.
Why Miami?
“I chose Miami because of Al Golden and his coaching staff. All of them have rings and are winners and are successful. They are building the Miami tradition and pride and they know what it takes to win a National Championship, an ACC championship, and BCS bowl games. I want to be around that, not a program that’s just trying to get there. I want to be around high-caliber players and an amazing fan base and tradition because I want to help that program. I’m looking to be an immediate help, not just to come in and wait. I want to compete for playing time, so the only way to do that is to find the best overall situation for me and out of all those schools, Miami was a clear-cut winner.”
From all accounts, Odems is a hard-nosed linebacker who prides himself on bringing energy to the team.
“My strength on the field is my run-stop ability. I feel like I have really good tackling form and I can wrap up. Being the middle linebacker you have to be the leader of the defense on the field and off the field so that really helps me out a lot. I’m a very physical and energetic player who you’ll see always jumping around, always excited and trying to pump up the crowd and players because if I can do that, then that means we’ll have a high-tempo, high-motor team defense.”
Odems spoke more about the interest he received out of high school.
“I had offers from Florida Atlantic, Middle Tennessee, Western Kentucky, FIU, and some more Sun Belt schools. A lot of the schools that gave me offers, they’re coaching staff changed so I lost those offers. Cincinnati, UVA, and Minnesota were also looking at me hard.”
Living and playing in Miami is something that Odems is looking forward to.
“It’s going to be a great opportunity and really a huge blessing. Obviously there’s the great beaches, the weather, the beautiful women and those are all great things, but the main thing I’m focused on is football and academics because Miami is one of the best academic institutions in the country. Life after football can be very good because it opens up a lot of opportunities. It’s going to be a little different because it will be a lot hotter and humid, but that’s all about adapting.”
**Tyler says there is still an outside shot he will enroll at Miami for this semester, but that he will be back at Dean College until the spring. He also added that there is a chance he gets a scholarship depending on the NCAA situation.
**Here are some of Tyler’s weight room numbers:
Bench max – 365
Reps of 225 – 22
Squat - 480
High school highlights
[video=youtube;4ovGvDvQPdU]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ovGvDvQPdU[/video]
“Last fall, I was supposed to go play for West Virginia. Some things with the NCAA clearinghouse got messed up so I had to leave and I went to junior college up in Franklin, Massachusetts (Dean College) and I played spring ball there and opened up my recruiting, where schools like North Carolina, Texas Tech, Ole Miss, and Cal were contacting me, but then Miami came. Miami told me they wanted me and that they wanted me before and if you do good and get your grades good then you can be a part of the team. I didn’t meet the correct standards for the NCAA so I do have to wait one more semester until the spring and then I’ll be on the team,” said Odems.
Why Miami?
“I chose Miami because of Al Golden and his coaching staff. All of them have rings and are winners and are successful. They are building the Miami tradition and pride and they know what it takes to win a National Championship, an ACC championship, and BCS bowl games. I want to be around that, not a program that’s just trying to get there. I want to be around high-caliber players and an amazing fan base and tradition because I want to help that program. I’m looking to be an immediate help, not just to come in and wait. I want to compete for playing time, so the only way to do that is to find the best overall situation for me and out of all those schools, Miami was a clear-cut winner.”
From all accounts, Odems is a hard-nosed linebacker who prides himself on bringing energy to the team.
“My strength on the field is my run-stop ability. I feel like I have really good tackling form and I can wrap up. Being the middle linebacker you have to be the leader of the defense on the field and off the field so that really helps me out a lot. I’m a very physical and energetic player who you’ll see always jumping around, always excited and trying to pump up the crowd and players because if I can do that, then that means we’ll have a high-tempo, high-motor team defense.”
Odems spoke more about the interest he received out of high school.
“I had offers from Florida Atlantic, Middle Tennessee, Western Kentucky, FIU, and some more Sun Belt schools. A lot of the schools that gave me offers, they’re coaching staff changed so I lost those offers. Cincinnati, UVA, and Minnesota were also looking at me hard.”
Living and playing in Miami is something that Odems is looking forward to.
“It’s going to be a great opportunity and really a huge blessing. Obviously there’s the great beaches, the weather, the beautiful women and those are all great things, but the main thing I’m focused on is football and academics because Miami is one of the best academic institutions in the country. Life after football can be very good because it opens up a lot of opportunities. It’s going to be a little different because it will be a lot hotter and humid, but that’s all about adapting.”
**Tyler says there is still an outside shot he will enroll at Miami for this semester, but that he will be back at Dean College until the spring. He also added that there is a chance he gets a scholarship depending on the NCAA situation.
**Here are some of Tyler’s weight room numbers:
Bench max – 365
Reps of 225 – 22
Squat - 480
High school highlights
[video=youtube;4ovGvDvQPdU]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ovGvDvQPdU[/video]
