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Kevin Gorman 412-320-7812
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Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
Kevin Gorman is a sports writer for the Tribune-Review.

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Wednesday - May 22, 2013

Tyler Boyd doesn't know where he will play college football. The Clairton star has decided, however, when and where he will announce his decision.

Boyd accepted an invitation to play in the 2013 U.S. Army All-American Bowl on Jan. 5 in San Antonio, and intends to reveal his college choice during the NBC national telecast.

“He said, ‘Now, I can do what all the others do: pick a hat then,' ” Clairton coach Tom Nola said. “For a kid, that's pretty special, I guess.”

Eighteen WPIAL alums have played in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl — which became the first national all-star game in 2002 — but Boyd will be the first from a Class A school to be picked.

“It's a great accomplishment because I've worked for and earned everything,” said Boyd, who rushed for 2,400 yards and 48 TDs last fall in leading Clairton to its fourth consecutive WPIAL title and third straight state crown. “That's why I think it's great, coming from a small school, that they recognize talent coming from Class A.”

Despite playing running back for the Bears, the 6-foot-2, 182-pounder projects as a receiver in college and spent the summer proving that he deserved a place among the nation's best.

Boyd went to team passing camps, as well as invitation-only skills camps at Gateway, Atlanta and Orlando to impress scouting services and improve his national overall and position ranking.

“We did a lot of seven-on-seven, but nobody could watch him,” Nola said. “They saw he could do that with anybody in the country, really.”

Boyd takes offense that fellow WPIAL prospects like Central Valley's Robert Foster, North Allegheny's Patrick Kugler and Belle Vernon's Dorian Johnson were ranked higher and didn't compete on the national camp circuit.

“Compared to all of them, I earned mine more than anybody else,” Boyd said. “I went to camps and showed everyone. Instead of competing in the WPIAL, I competed against the U.S.”

Boyd received a scholarship offer from Georgia Tech last week, increasing his total to two dozen offers. He won't name a favorite, but plans on taking all five official visits allowable.

Boyd is looking forward to seeing how he fares against the nation's best in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl.

“It's definitely harder because you have to throw on gear with the best guys,” he said. “It's different without pads. We're going to find out who has the true talent.”

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