Last week, 247sports released its Future 247, its early list of the top 247 players in the class of 2013. Eight of these 247 players were awarded a 5-star rating by the websites' analysts. It was no surprise when 1 of these players 8 players was Thomas Tyner, a running back from Aloha High in Oregon. It wasn't surprising to see Tyner selected because is seen by some recruitniks as a once-in-a-generation 'super recruit' with combination of an NFL running back's ideal size and an Olympic sprinter's speed. Tyner is able to break tackles and is also extremely shifty, and can make defenders miss. Last season, he ran for 1821 yards on 197 carries (9.25 yards per carry) with 19 touchdowns. This earned Tyner the distinction of Oregon's Offensive Player of the Year and scores of other accolades.


Despite only being a sophomore, Tyner is already a proven winner. He was a intricate part of Aloha winning its first-ever OSAA Class 6A state championship last fall, rushing for 163 yards in the 34-13 victory over Tualatin. The following spring, Tyner finished track season with a best time of 10.35 seconds and a state title in the 100m dash. Though Tyner is aware that speed is one of his strengths, he humbly admits that he's working on his stamina. To be fair, this isn't Tyner's fault. Citing a blue collar background, Tyner has a superior work ethic. He goes all-out in every game, practice, scrimmage, and meet.


How fast is Tyner? Well, we're talking about speed that would warrant a nickname like Dilithium II or Trilithium. In high school, Denard's fastest official time was a 10.44. Tyner told me that he runs a 10.35, and ran an automatically-timed 10.38 in the Metro Championship meet.



Tyner is so fast that he has a legitimate shot at making the Olympics, and loves running track. Some have even suggested that he would opt for track over football. Tyner says otherwise, "[in college] I want to do both [football and track]."


As for college, Tyner doesn't have any early favorites, and says he's "opening [himself] up to the nation." He is very open to the possibility of going to college away from the west coast, and Michigan is one of the schools that Tyner has expressed interest in. Having allowed athletes like Denard Robinson to compete in track while playing football won't hurt the Wolverines' chances with Tyner.

With Shane Morris (potential #1 QB in 2013) already in the fold for the class of 2013, there may not be a more important recruit than Thomas Tyner. So Wolverine fans, make sure to remember the name "Thomas Tyner."