WR recruit picked BYU over SEC
February 3rd, 2008, 4:25 pm Hobbies Ideas
Former Orem High star Tyler Anderson has played on the turf at the Rose Bowl as a receiver with Ty Detmer and his 100 meter dash times remains some of the fastest in Utah prep history.
He is now the only football coach Harmony High School has had since it opened up in central Florida four years ago, with previous coaching experience at Tooele High and Southern Utah University.
So when Anderson says his BYU-bound star receiver O’Neill Chambers will make an impact for Bronco Mendenhall, he’s got the credentials to back up his testimonial.
Chambers is expected to join 25 other recruits in signing on letter-of-intent day on Wednesday. It isn’t often BYU pulls a receiver out of Florida, one that had offers from Florida, Georgia, Clemson, Purdue and Texas Tech.
Chambers, who is 6-foot-3, 208 pounds, is ranked by Scout.com as one of the top receivers in Central Florida. Anderson said he might have stayed in Florida if his favorite team, Miami, had come calling but they didn’t because they generally poke around in South Florida. Chambers cancelled his trip to Florida after committing to BYU coaches following his official visit to Provo the second week of January.
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“He’s going to be great for BYU,” said Anderson.
“He is a phenomenal athlete. His speed is in the high 4.5 to 4.6 range but on the field, he has what you’d call football speed and he runs away from people who are suppose to be 4.3 guys.”
Chambers plays three sports for Harmony and went both ways for Anderson, playing safety and receiver while handling kickoff and punt return duties. He caught 17 passes for 303 yards and 3 touchdowns. He had 3 other TDs on defense and 3 scores on special teams.
“He can jump. He’s made some catches that are pretty amazing on offense and on defense he just makes plays no matter where we put him. He’s an athlete and he hasn’t had any work in the weight room because of playing three sports. If he hit the weights, he could be something else.”
Can he beat Anderson in the 40?
“No,” said the coach. “He isn’t that fast, but he is 6-3 and weighs 210 pounds and he can run people over. He’s not afraid to get physical and take a hit.”
Anderson, it should be noted, holds the seventh-best 200 meter time in BYU history at 20.69 seconds, set in 1994 and was the leadoff sprinter that set the all-time BYU sprint medley record in 1993 at 3:15.59.
Anderson got Chambers and teammate Kedron Paul to BYU’s summer camp where they could see firsthand what he’d been bragging to them about, where he played his college ball.
“They had a great time. The first school to contact O’Neill with a scholarship, however was South Carolina, then Mississippi State. He made an official trip to Purdue in the fall.”
But after his trip to Provo with his mother Linette in January, Chambers decided he’d end the recruiting and turned down other trip offers, said Anderson.
“His mother was very impressed when she met with Mendenhall. She said he didn’t talk football but more of other aspects of how her son could benefit from going to BYU and she agreed.”
Anderson said Chambers transferred in to Harmony two years ago. “He’s the best athlete we’ve had at this school since we opened four years ago.”
Paul needs to finish up some test scores to be eligible and he prefers to follow Chambers to Provo.
Anderson said Chambers played against very tough competiton in Florida, a garden spot for producing football talent.
“I’d say in the skill positions, for every one great athlete you have in Utah, there are 15 just like that in Florida.”
Chambers is expected to join a list of 2008 Cougar recruits that features several blue chip players including Bingham tight end Austin Holt and kicker Justin Sorensen while it is expected the Cougars will land their highest ranked prospect, California linebacker Uona Kaveinga.
Concluded Anderson on his guy, “I think he’s going to be something special out there. He really is a good kid.”
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