College football’s greatest coaching legend is going to have a descendant in the family business, as of approximately September 2019.
Hewitt Trussville (Ala.) quarterback Paul Tyson is former Alabama coach Bear Bryant’s great-grandson. Tyson is young — still in his sophomore year of high school — but has already drawn interest from the Crimson Tide, Clemson, Notre Dame, and Mississippi State. He doesn’t have any listed offers, but it’s still early for 2019 kids.
The offers are probably coming. Tyson already has the attention of new Bama offensive coordinator Brian Daboll, a five-time Super Bowl-winning assistant with the New England Patriots. He also met recently with Tide coach Nick Saban, who has his own set of five championship rings. Via Hank South of 247Sports:
Alabama has yet to extend an offer to the Tide legacy, but that doesn’t mean the staff isn’t highly interested.
“I would say mostly the fact that I’m 6-4, 210, pocket passer,” Tyson said of what Bama likes about him. “That’s what they like to do especially with Coach Daboll. He’s been coaching Tom Brady, and I’m just that type of quarterback, a pocket passer, that can drop back and throw it.”
Tyson has been to Alabama home games more often than not growing up, but Saturday marked the first time he’s had a one-on-one with Saban.
“I’ve shook his hand a few times and he’s known who I was, but I’ve never been able to sit down and just kind of me and him and my parents, with him being able to talk to me about watching my film and my size,” Tyson said. “He was talking about character and all that stuff, and telling me how he wants everything to go for next year and stuff.”
Tyson also recently visited Clemson, the team that vanquished Alabama in last season’s national title game. He can’t sign a National Letter of Intent for nearly two years, but that he’s closely in touch with teams in the Bama-Clemson-Notre Dame tier of national recruiting suggests he will fare well once more evaluators see him.
It’s interesting, too, that Alabama is impressing upon top recruits that it’s interested in using a pro-style passing game. During his three years as offensive coordinator, Lane Kiffin moved the Tide well away from that. By Kiffin’s departure at the end of last season, the Tide were a spread, power-option team.
The 2019 class still lacks detailed recruiting rankings, and Tyson isn’t yet featured on the industry-consensus 247Sports Composite. His high school, Hewitt-Trussville, has produced Power 5 players for the last two years, including four-star Auburn receiver signee Noah Igbinoghene this year. Tyson recently transferred there.
Tyson says he’s not automatically going to Alabama.
From South’s article, which is good:
“Just to have that name under me; it’s an honor to have that be my great-grandfather,” Tyson told BamaOnLine. “It’s awesome. It’s a great thing that I’ll always have in my life. It’s a blessing.
“It’s definitely been something that’s crazy. Some people think I’m automatically going to Alabama. That’s not completely true. I’m just starting the recruiting process and it’s awesome. I’m loving it. People definitely think it’s pretty cool who my great-grandfather is, and often ask me questions about him. It’s a great honor.”
Bear Bryant is the only coach in college football history with five Associated Press national championships. Current Tide coach Nick Saban has four, and both have one other championship season that’s not recognized as such by the AP.
Would it be pretty surreal to see Bryant’s blood flowing through the veins of someone playing on a non-Alabama college football team? Possibly. But recruiting’s a surreal field in general, and we should probably take Tyson at his word.