Thomas Tyner Commits to the BFT

With the departures of veteran players and head coach Chip Kelly this offseason, the University of Oregon football program is beginning a new era. One person who figures to play into that new era is local Oregon recruit Thomas Tyner, a five-star running back from Aloha High School who has announced he will sign with Ducks. Tyner joined the BFT on Wednesday to talk about signing with the Ducks and the recruiting process.

Tyner talked about how waking up on signing day felt like his birthday, and how when he went to school everyone was congratulating him and wishing him well. He also talked about how integral his parents have been in the whole process, saying that they’ve been there for him, “since day one.”

“That’s what really helped me and brought me to my success,” said Tyner. “Not only my parents, but also my teammates, my coaches, and my whole community.”

Thomas went on talk about the experience of learning to deal with stress from so many people trying to contact him, especially when he briefly decommitted from the University of Oregon. He also talked about when he decommitted from the Ducks, explaining that after he committed as a junior, he couldn’t take any visits to any other schools (as was the policy under then-head coach Chip Kelly). As such, Tyner wanted to see what was available from other schools.

“I felt like I didn’t have a chance to see what was out there,” explained Tyner. “But I didn’t want to take the chance of losing my scholarship to a place I love.”

Tyner also talked about the departure of Ducks head coach Chip Kelly and what it meant to his recruiting. Tyner was actually meeting with running backs coach Gary Campbell when Campbell got the call that Kelly was leaving.

“When I committed back in my junior year, I was committed to Chip Kelly – I didn’t really look too far into my commitment,” said Tyner. “As a senior, I invested more in my commitment, and I found out you have to commit to the school.”

Tyner went on to say he was happy for Coach Kelly, but that when he committed to Oregon he committed to more than just the coach.

To listen to the entire interview, click below: