Tyler is a Trojan
Westlake Village (Calif.) Oaks Christian running back Marc Tyler had originally planned to take the recruiting process head on and delay a commitment until January.
With teammate Jimmy Clausen committing to Notre Dame in April, the spotlight burned brighter on Tyler, causing him to rethink his plans. On Monday, Marc and his father Wendell went to USC and made his commitment to the Trojans official.
Advertisement
While his public announcement wasn't supposed to take place until tomorrow at 1:05 p.m. PT on ESPNU, the story broke earlier than expected.
"I didn't know that, but yeah, I'm committed to USC," said Tyler.
The five-star tailback decided months ago to exchange attention for a commitment to the Trojans.
"I was tired of the phone calls and everything," said Tyler. "We want to win a championship at Oaks Christian, so that's what I'm focused on."
Tyler, who's listed at 6-foot, 215-pounds, is now closer to 225-pounds. With a running style very similar to that of Baltimore Ravens' running back Jamal Lewis, Tyler rushed for 2,196 yards and 39 touchdowns as a junior.
Noted as the nation's best all-around running back, he also caught 22 passes for 421 yards and six scores. That versatility earned Tyler an impressive list of scholarship offers.
Notre Dame, LSU, Michigan, South Carolina, Tennessee and several other schools from across the nation forwarded Tyler scholarship offers.
And while his early interest in USC was tested when he unofficially visited Notre Dame with Clausen, Tyler knew all along where his heart was.
"USC just felt right," said Tyler. "I couldn't really see myself playing away from home after visting Notre Dame. That's basically when I knew where I was going."
Tyler becomes the Trojans' second commitment in two days, and the seventh overall in the class of 2006.
More on Marc Tyler and his commitment to USC later!