Bear Bryant's great grandson is a major UK target and interest is mutual
Late in the week CatsIllustrated.com reported that Kentucky's football coaches had verbally offered Class of 2019 quarterback Paul Tyson, the great grandson of legendary college football coach Bear Bryant.
Turns out, Kentucky could be a major player in Tyson's recruitment.
Jacksonville State and Kentucky are the first two schools to offer the sophomore quarterback from Hewitt Trussville in Alabama, but don't let that fool you.
"Last year he played varsity but he was the backup on varsity and he played JV," said Marc Bryant Tyson, the player's father and the grandson of Bear Bryant. "They play 7A football, which is the largest classification. There are only 32 teams in the state of Alabama that play 7A. So even the JV is big-time football.
"These (college) coaches want to come watch him play. So he's got coaches coming this spring. Those were the first two coaches to come by and they just started spring practice."
So Tyson is two for two. Coaches from Jacksonville State and Kentucky have come by and coaches from both schools have offered.
For a player lacking varsity experience, that's not bad.
"He really loves Coach (Darin) Hinshaw," the player's father told CatsIllustrated.com. "I haven't gotten to meet him. (Hinshaw) said that he really liked him and he made all the throws. They watched him go through his progressions and Hinshaw said he made all the throws he needed to make. He was very pleased with him. Actually, he told him they really wanted to make him an offer but it's crazy because they video them at practice. Then the next day they talked, he got out of class and they told him they wanted to make him an offer."
Needless to say, as Tyson's first SEC offer that was an exciting moment.
Given the family's history, which is forever linked to Kentucky in some way due to Bryant's success coaching in Lexington, it may mean even more.
"My grandmother loved Lexington," Tyson's father said. "I was the only grandson. My grandfather had two children: Paul Bryant Jr., and my mother. I was the only grandson. I didn't play college football. Paul (Tyson) could be the first one, potentially, to play since papa (Bryant) played. His children didn't play.
"Our family has always loved Kentucky because that's where papa got started. He had the one year at Maryland but I've always followed Kentucky," Tyson's father said. "I can tell you this ... I'll be pushing for Kentucky to be at the top."
Tyson believes his son is also very serious about Kentucky.
"I will guarantee you that Kentucky will, all the way to the end, be one of the top schools if not his top school," Tyson said. "He just loved Coach Hinshaw. He's met Coach (Eddie) Gran before. Papa coached there. They gave him his start. It's just funny how that's the first big offer for him. I will be shocked if Kentucky's not right there up 'til the end. There's a long way to go and you can't commit somewhere too early because you never know how long Coach (Mark) Stoops, Gran or Hinshaw will be there, but I'll be shocked if they're not right there 'til the end."
Tyson went on to say that his son will "definitely" be camping at Kentucky this summer.
