Currently, he has two sons playing for
L.W. Higgins (LA). The oldest son, Kermit (Jr), is a 6' 4", 315 pound
guard that is a three year starter and is committed to play for the University
of Mississippi next season. The youngest, Ashton, is a 6' 7", 265 pound left
tackle that is one of the state's top junior prospect.
The oldest son,
Kermit Jr, has made a lot of progress from 11th to 12th grade.
"Kermit
had a really good season," added the very articulate Kermit Tyler Sr. "He
made 1st Team All-District, 1st Team All-West Bank, 1st Team All-Metro (New Orleans),
but he was left off of the All-State team due to politics. When he committed to
Ole Miss, that pretty much eliminated him getting any chance to make All-State
around here. We understood that from the beginning."
But the biggest
news of the year came a couple of weeks ago when Kermit was selected to the All-American
bowl on January 4th.
"He was really happy about that. To have a chance
to play on Fox Sports and to be coached by Rod Woodson and Chris Carter. That
is going to be a great learning experience for him. To have a chance to be coached
by some of the NFL greats is going to be good for all of the players."
As
proud as dad was to have his son play so well on the field, he is even more proud
of what his son has been able to achieve in the classroom.
"He is
college eligible, which really should not be a big deal. People complain about
the standards being so high. I think they need to be even higher. These kids will
always just try and get by if you set low standards. Kermit has never fallen below
a 3.2 Core GPA, and he made an 18 on the ACT test. We are disappointed in the
score so he is going to keep taking it until he makes a score that matches his
intellectual capability and 18 is not it (laugh)."
Tyler had committed
to Ole Miss last Spring before he ever visited the Rebel's campus, but the Tylers
were no stranger to Mississippi and Oxford.
"My father is from Durant
(MS). We know all about Ole Miss, its tradition ,and beautiful campus."
But
the staff that Kermit committed to is no longer at Ole Miss. What does that do
to his commitment?
"Kermit got a couple of offers when Coach Orgeron
left. Rutgers, Southern Mississippi, and La Tech all offered him within 2 or 3
days after Coach Orgeron got fired but his heart is at Ole Miss. I told him before
he committed to Ole Miss, to not commit to a college because of the coaches. They
come and go. You have to commit to the school that you are most comfortable with,
for all of the factors, not just one part of the equation. And once the new Ole
Miss coaches showed him that they wanted him. It was a done deal. He is the type
of kid that is not looking for a lot of media attention. He just wanted to be
a Rebel. He text Coach Orgeron and told him that he was going to miss him, and
that he really appreciated him giving him the opportunity to play for Ole Miss,
but he was going to stick with Ole Miss. Coach Orgeron told him he needed to stick
with Ole Miss. He said they were really about to be good, and he thought Coach
Nutt was a fine coach. That showed a lot of class on his part."
When
did the new Ole Miss staff first make contact with the Tyler family?
"Coach
Markuson called him a few days after Coach Nutt was hired. He told Kermit that
he watched his film and was really excited he was going to be a Rebel. Coach Nutt
called the following week and told him that he was really impressed with Tyler's
footwork and toughness. See Kermit came to the Ole Miss camp at 340. He was out
of shape because he had been injured and was not active for the prior six months.
But he worked hard this summer and fall in the weight room and is down to 315.
He is in the best shape of his life. Coach Kim Dameron came to the school right
before the dead period started and set up a visit for January 18th. We are excited
to get to meet all of the new coaches."
The Tyler's had heard around
the New Orleans circles that the facilities at Ole Miss were not on par with the
rest of the SEC schools. They were pleasantly surprised when they saw the Ole
Miss facilities for the first time this past summer at the football camp.
"We
had heard their facilities were lacking compared to the rest of their campus.
We got a chance to see them for the first time at their football camp. We have
been to LSU, MSU, and several more schools, and their facilities do not touch
Ole Miss'. The Fed Ex academic facility is second to none and they have such a
beautiful campus. When you put in a lot of money into your facilities, and have
the coaches now, the good players will come next. I think Ole Miss is a sleeping
giant, and I think Coach Nutt is going wake them up. We have been following Coach
Nut for a while."
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