Syracuse football recruiting: Texas OL Willie Tyler transfers to Orange

The Syracuse Orange football team is bolstering the offensive line again, with the addition of transfer offensive lineman Willie Tyler from the Texas Longhorns. A bit of a snakebit position lately for the Orange, the addition of Tyler, as well as junior college transfer Jakob Bradford look to add a bit of stability to a position that has been thinned out by injury and attrition in recent history.

Tyler is a 6-foot-7, 335 lb. lineman, originally hailing from Racine, Wisc. Out of high school, he enrolled in Garden City Community College, before transferring to Iowa Western Community College. He played a season for the Reivers where he moved to offensive line, then transferred to Texas, after receiving offers from West Virginia, SMU and Louisiana Tech. Of note, Tyler has not played a Division I snap since high school after redshirting with Texas, then opting out of the 2020 season due to COVID.

He would likely be brought in at either tackle or guard for the Orange. For more immediate playing time, it seems that tackle would be the more apt spot for him assuming he moves well in that frame. There he would be competing with Airon Servais, Anthony Red and incoming transfer Bradford for the right tackle spot. The guard rotation this year is pretty well set with Chris Bleich and Dakota Davis. That said, Davis will be a senior and Tyler has three years of eligibility left.

Tyler’s addition provides a good prospect for new coach Mike Schmidt to work with and mold into a quality addition to the offensive front.