Andrews – During a visit to Appalachian State University, Andrews junior Tyler West met Mountaineers head coach Shawn Clark in his office. There, Clark offered West a full scholarship to play football at the university.
“It was great,” West said of the moment. “Definitely unexpected. Getting your first offer, it’s definitely a great feeling.”
It was West’s first offer to play college football, the biggest step in his current recruiting process. Coaches have been in contact with West over the past few months since the end of his junior season, and he also picked up offers from Duke, East Carolina and Lenoir-Rhyne universities as well as the University of North Carolina in Charlotte.
“It’s cool to see a kid from Andrews having those aspirations and goals,” Wildcats head football coach James Phillips said. “And I appreciate those schools and those programs and those coaches taking the time to check Tyler out.”
West’s dream to play Division I football started during his freshman year. In between eighth grade and his freshman year, he grew from 5’10 to 6’2. Today, he stands 6’5 and weighs about 270 pounds, giving him the size and body type to fill out that makes him attractive to college coaches.
He projects as an offensive lineman in college, but plays both left tackle and defensive end for Andrews. He took over a starting role as a sophomore and built on it last year, when he was named All-Smoky Mountain Conference.
Heading into last season, Phillips, whose specialty is the offensive and defensive lines, thought West played well as a sophomore, but needed to develop a mean streak. Phillips said West is a bit of a ‘gentle giant” and can have an unassuming personality. That doesn’t work in the trenches, so they worked on shedding that personality when he steps on the field and getting more confident that he could be that type of player.
“That’s one of the things they talk about,” Phillips said. “He’s got good technique, he’s obviously got good size. He does a good job finishing blocks, and he plays with some nastiness, and he plays with some intensity and aggressiveness. That was the focus last year.”
As he goes on college visits, West is enjoying the show that programs put on for recruits. Due to the arms race in college football, team facilities have been upgraded into lavish performance centers.
There are still necessities like the weight room, locker room and cafeteria, but some facilities go as far as having a barber shop or mini golf course. The photo-shoot has become a coveted part of the visit as well, with schools dressing prospective recruits in team uniforms and taking pictures with props associated with the team.
At Appalachian State, West’s photoshoot involved dressing in an all-black uniform, and posing with a hammer in homage to the school’s Mountaineer nickname.
“I liked the photo-shoot, to be honest,” West said. “The facilities, they caught me off guard with how nice they were. Especially being at a small school like Andrews, seeing facilities like that, it was pretty cool.”
West is in no rush to make a decision, and said he’s still in the process of figuring out what he wants from both a football and academic standpoint. The attention can be overwhelming at times, and sometimes requires the help of his older sister, Haley. A teacher at Andrews High School, she’s picked up the side job as his “manager” to help coordinate potential visits and communicate with all the coaches who reach out.
It’s all part of soaking in the process. At some point, a decision will have to be made, and the grind of his senior football season will begin. But right now for West, it’s about enjoying this experience while continuing the work that got him this far.
“It’s pretty cool,” West said. “With it being a goal and dream of mine, it’s really something I enjoy.”