Buford’s road-grading offensive lineman Tyler Thurmond committed to West Virginia on August 1st. The Class of ’17 lineman announced it officially when he tweeted:
#〽️ountaineers commit pic.twitter.com/cZ8zJjPbSn
— Tyler Thurmond (@thurmond_tyler) August 1, 2016
The big offensive tackle, who stands 6’6″ and weighs 280 pounds, chose the Mountaineers over multiple FBS offers. The West Virginia staff had continuous contact with the Buford senior all during the offseason, and they finally offered him on June 30th, making them his first Power 5 offer. The WVU coaches had outstanding communication, and sold their football-rich traditions, which piqued Thurmond’s interest.
“What separated WVU from all the others was the coaches’ effort to establish a relationship with me – also it just felt right.” Thurmond continued, “The facilities were first class and the fans of WVU support everything West Virginia 110%.”
Going through the recruiting process can certainly be a roller-coaster ride. For Thurmond, he received a ton of interest from local mid-majors but held out for Power 5 schools. Now that he is a true blue Mountaineer, he can focus on the upcoming season.
“It’s feels good to be done with the recruiting process because now I can focus all my time and energy on winning another state championship.”
Buford lost to Cartersville in the state championship last season, and Thurmond is looking forward to capturing another state title. When asked about upcoming goals, Thurmond reiterated, “The only goal for this fall is to win the state championship and nothing else.”
Thurmond is the 13th commitment for West Virginia in the Class of 2017 and the second from the state of Georgia (Eugene Brown, Stephenson).
Scouting Report
Thurmond has the ideal body for a Power 5 offensive lineman. He has a long body, and his arm length makes him really tough on defensive linemen. The big lineman keeps his legs churning and plays like a prototypical right tackle—seals off his man on the edge excellently. Not a lot of pass-blocking film.
