March 7, 2013 at 2:25 am
Sam Webb: Recruiting
Tyrone Wheatley Sr. thrilled son is considering continuing U-M legacy
From The Detroit News:
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Tyrone Wheatley has had his share proud football moments.
The recently named running backs coach for the Buffalo Bills is widely regarded as one of the best athletes to ever come out of the state of Michigan.
Highlights from his extensive resume include a state football title and seven individual track titles at Dearborn Heights Robichaud — Big Ten offensive player of the year, three consecutive all Big Ten first team selections, and the fourth most rushing yards in program history at Michigan — and a first-round selection in the 1995 draft and a 10-year career in the NFL.
While the pride that stems from all of those accomplishments is substantial, it pales in comparison to what he felt when his son, Fayetteville-Manlius (N.Y.) sophomore tight end/defensive end Tyrone Wheatley Jr. received a scholarship offer from Brady Hoke two weeks ago.
"I mean, come on — it was like 'hell yeah,'" a still jubilant Tyrone Sr. exclaimed. "It was really like, 'wow!' Ever since they were little dudes — six or seven months — I had bought these little teddy bears. I had bought him one and then his brother one. You pushed the paw and it played the Michigan fight song.
"Those bears have survived the test of time. In their rooms, they grew up with Michigan bedspreads. You look at the lineage of the great Michigan families — the Woolfolks' (Butch and Troy), the Edwards' (Stan and Braylon) — it's incredible. You just kind of say 'man, I'd like that to be me and my family.' But I also have to understand that it's his decision."
That his son will have the freedom to blaze his own trail is a point that the elder Wheatley has been diligent in stressing. That said, he has also made sure to paint a vivid picture of his alma mater as a desirable option.
Wolverine from birth
"I grew up a pretty big Michigan fan," Wheatley Jr. admitted. "I would watch all of my dad's old highlights, Bo Schembechler, and all those guys too. I like the history of Michigan and all that kind of stuff. The campus is beautiful, the Big House is nice, and all the people — Michigan fans are crazy.
"They have all the big tailgates at Pioneer High School right across from the stadium and stuff. And the new renovations make it look so much bigger."
Few would have been surprised if such images had fostered in young Wheatley dreams of performing on that very stage.
However, for much of his life football was an afterthought. Soccer and baseball held more appeal until around middle school, and that's exactly how dad wanted it.
"One of the reasons why I didn't (want) for him to start playing football at that early age was his safety and just me being an overprotective parent," Wheatley Sr., explained. "I didn't want to trust my kid to just anybody coaching him.
"When I started looking at the little league coaches, they were screaming, yelling, and doing these (unsafe) drills. I was like, 'I'm not going to let my kid go and do that.' So I waited until he gained an athletic base to where he could protect himself, he could go out and handle certain things, and it kind of happened when we (moved back) to Michigan. He said, 'You know what, I don't want to play baseball anymore, I don't want to play soccer -- I want to play football.' I felt he was ready at that point."
As is the case with the offspring of most famous athletes, the lofty expectations were present the moment he stepped onto the field. But the impact of said expectations has been far from adverse. Dad's approach to cultivating his son's game is among the primary reasons why.
"It wasn't really pressure," Wheatley Jr. said. "I knew what my dad did, how he played at the highest level, and like how he had a name — especially back when I played for the Ypsilanti Junior Braves, but I just kind of went out, had fun, and did my thing. He gave me pointers and showed me what I have to do to be the best and stuff, but he let me do my own thing."
"He takes a step back. He lets my coaches coach me, and he just lets me do my thing. If I have any questions or anything like that, I just ask him, and he'll coach me up and help me figure it out, and do what I need to do."
What he feels the need to do at the moment is continue getting bigger and stronger. That's saying a lot considering the 6-fpot-6, 235-pounder is already bigger and taller than his father.
What's even more impressive is that he has maintained much of the footwork and quickness from his days on the soccer field. Those traits have helped him become a two-way force at Fayetteville-Manlius.
"I prefer the offensive side of the ball, but all the coaches tell me that defense is where the bread and butter is for me," Wheatley Jr., stated. "On offense, I like to run seam routes and sit in the open spots in the zone. When guys try to tackle me, I just bounce right off them, I keep going.
"On the defensive side of the ball, I'm a speed to power guy. I like to get off the ball quick, catch you when you're not looking, get my hands on you, and just throw you around and get to the quarterback. And if I meet the running back in the hole, I'll take him down."
That striking versatility has caused opinions on which position he is best suited for to be differ. As far as dad is concerned it is much too soon for anyone to make that determination.
"My wife's grandfather and uncle both were 6-7, so we just told him, 'Let your body kind of choose position,'" the elder Wheatley explained. "The funny thing about it is he's just a sophomore. We don't know what his body's going to do. He has really never been in a serious weight or strength program, so just imagine if we put him on a serious weight or strength program. He puts on another 25 or 40 pounds? You never know.
"Why pigeonhole him or why start trying to groom him into something? My biggest concern always was and always will be is just making him the best athlete that he can be. Then once he gets to college the coaches will decide (on his position). "
"I could end up being an offensive guard, offensive tackle, defensive tackle," Wheatley Jr. added. "We have to wait and see. I have two more years and I'm probably not done growing. I'm going to start working out more and get bigger and stronger and faster. My goal is to be one of the top five players in the country by my senior year."
With offers already from Michigan, Penn State, and Syracuse he appears well on his way to at least being one of the most sought after players in the 2015 class. As the weeks go by, more and more programs are showing interest.
The excitement over early recruiting developments such as those has been known to spur hasty decisions. It's a trap that Wheatley Sr. has warned his son against falling into.
"The only thing I ask him is this, if you commit, you're committed," senior stated. "We're not going to play this game of one hat one week, and the next hat the next week. If you're going to commit, stick to it. He said 'OK, what that means then, it may take some time for me to make my decision if that's the case then, dad'. And that's the only thing I require of him."
On the other hand, the list of requirements for the school his son ultimately picks is a tad longer.
More than an athlete
"First, just someone who's going to develop him as a young man," he stated. "He's going to leave our house and now he's going to be in the care of someone else. We want them to kind of be an extension of what we are as his parents. He's not just a football player. He's a very intelligent young man.
"So we want someone to represent him as a human being, as an intellectual, and will continue to grow him spiritually and mentally as a young man. I know that's kind of hard, and that mostly falls more upon the position coach. And I'm not worried about anybody coaching him hard or anything like that. That's just part of football.
"The second thing that really I'm big on, and was very fortunate (to have) — the amount of minorities on staff is big as well. For the simple fact that it's somebody that you can relate to. Nine times out of 10 you have to go to someone who looks like you that you can feel like you relate to, so that's big."
Junior has taken all of the suggested criteria to heart and plans to use it when analyzing his options. There is only one factor whose significance might be the source of disagreement.
"Distance is probably going to be (an issue) for my mom, but for me, honestly, it won't," young Wheatley said laughing.. "I'm still going to visit home, and they're going to come to my games. I've lived basically all over the country (during his dad's NFL and coaching career), so it doesn't really affect me that much."
For now he is satisfied taking his recruiting in stride and insists he is wide open. Even so he fully expects not-so-subtle plugs for the Maize and Blue to commonplace until he reaches a decision.
"My dad jokes around a little bit," Wheatley Jr., said. "He's like 'Oh, you know you're a Michigan man! I went to Michigan!'
Added senior, "in my house, we kind of say every joke is 10 percent true. I kind of joked with him and I said 'listen, I'm not going to be the guy that's going to intervene and try to persuade you as to where you're going to school, (darn), I'm telling you to go!' And it was a joke, but as I say, it was a joke, but it was 10 percent truth."