It's no question that the Miami Hurricanes already are off to a tremendous start to their 2016 recruiting class. One of the biggest commitments the 'Canes have landed in this class is from Naples (Fla.) athlete Tyler Byrd who was originally committed to the Florida Gators.
Byrd was committed to the Gators for well over a year. However, a visit to Coral Gables for the UM Junior day at the end of January really opened Byrd's eyes. Byrd landed a offer from Al Golden's staff that same day, and a week later, he committed to the 'Canes.
"My main reason for flipping was the classroom situation. The 12:1 student-to-teacher ratio is huge so this way I can have a lot of one-on-one time with my teachers. So at a bigger university I don't think I would get that because the athletes tend to sit towards the back of the classroom with a few hundred kids and not really pay attention and this is important to me," said Byrd.
Byrd also notes that another one of the reasons for his de-commitment is that Florida has a hired a whole new coaching staff and he has a good bond with the UM coaching staff.
"I love the coaches down at Miami and I didn't really get the chance to have a relationship with the Florida coaches. I love the coaches at 'The U' and plus it's closer to home," said Byrd.
When Byrd visited on January 25th, he was blown away by the atmosphere on campus.
"Oh man, the campus is beautiful. I mean you have that big pond in the middle of the school which is nice. It shows that they have put a lot of money into the new facilities and that's great to see."
Tyler Byrd won't be signing his National Letter of Intent for close to a year, however, what can Miami Hurricane fans expect when this 6-foot, 195-pound four-star prospect steps on campus.
"I'm very versatile of course because I play both ways. On defense I'm more of a pressure guy and I feel like I'm good at coming up to make a tackle on a running backs. Then on offense I can get open pretty easily."
While Byrd knows he'll be playing on the defensive side of the ball come college, he's just unsure what position it will be. Byrd added that defensive backs coach Paul Williams likes him at cornerback and head coach Al Golden said he could fit at either cornerback or safety.
Byrd will be spending his offseason playing 7-on-7 and looking to defend his state championship in the long jump.
**Here are Byrd's highlights: http://www.hudl.com/athlete/1808982/tyler-byrd
**Photo via his Hudl
Byrd was committed to the Gators for well over a year. However, a visit to Coral Gables for the UM Junior day at the end of January really opened Byrd's eyes. Byrd landed a offer from Al Golden's staff that same day, and a week later, he committed to the 'Canes.
"My main reason for flipping was the classroom situation. The 12:1 student-to-teacher ratio is huge so this way I can have a lot of one-on-one time with my teachers. So at a bigger university I don't think I would get that because the athletes tend to sit towards the back of the classroom with a few hundred kids and not really pay attention and this is important to me," said Byrd.
Byrd also notes that another one of the reasons for his de-commitment is that Florida has a hired a whole new coaching staff and he has a good bond with the UM coaching staff.
"I love the coaches down at Miami and I didn't really get the chance to have a relationship with the Florida coaches. I love the coaches at 'The U' and plus it's closer to home," said Byrd.
When Byrd visited on January 25th, he was blown away by the atmosphere on campus.
"Oh man, the campus is beautiful. I mean you have that big pond in the middle of the school which is nice. It shows that they have put a lot of money into the new facilities and that's great to see."
Tyler Byrd won't be signing his National Letter of Intent for close to a year, however, what can Miami Hurricane fans expect when this 6-foot, 195-pound four-star prospect steps on campus.
"I'm very versatile of course because I play both ways. On defense I'm more of a pressure guy and I feel like I'm good at coming up to make a tackle on a running backs. Then on offense I can get open pretty easily."
While Byrd knows he'll be playing on the defensive side of the ball come college, he's just unsure what position it will be. Byrd added that defensive backs coach Paul Williams likes him at cornerback and head coach Al Golden said he could fit at either cornerback or safety.
Byrd will be spending his offseason playing 7-on-7 and looking to defend his state championship in the long jump.
**Here are Byrd's highlights: http://www.hudl.com/athlete/1808982/tyler-byrd
**Photo via his Hudl
