Tyler Abshire is a 6’4, 180 pound quarterback from Cecilia High School. This class of 2020 quarterback knows what he brings to the table concerning his abilities; but, he also knows the areas which need improvement.
To start things off, I asked him to describe himself in a few words. Tyler replied, “I’m a confident guy, I walk with a chip on my shoulder. You have to have a sense of confidence to play this position because going into a game scared affects your performance”. The old adage, “there’s a difference between confident and cocky”, is definitely in play. Tyler is absolutely correct; you have to be confident to be a quarterback. When a player is more confident, he is willing to take more well-advised risks to move the ball down the field which will put points up on the board.
I asked the Cecilia quarterback what were his goals for this year. “I want to get an offer. That’s what I’m working for”. Of course, Tyler would like to take a trip the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. His goal is the same as every other high school senior football player in Louisiana. In the end, it’s up to Tyler to showcase his abilities to college coaches and to prove to them why he stands out among other quarterbacks in the state.
As the interview continued, I asked him what was his biggest influence to play football. “My dad. He played football when he was my age, but he did not have anyone to push him to get the most out of it. That’s why he pushes me. He wants to make sure to push me enough to take advantage of my opportunities to be the best I can be”.
To be an effective quarterback, a player has to be able to inspire his guys to rally behind him and give him support. In order to do that, a player has to develop strong leadership qualities. I asked Tyler how he defines himself as a leader and he replied, “I lead by example. I am vocal at times but I feel like I’m best at leading by example; showing the guys the hard work I’m willing to do to not only to make myself better but to put our team in the best position to win”. Tyler went on to explain how he is willing to do whatever he needs to do to help the team. “I’m not a runner. I would rather just stay in the pocket and throw but sometimes I have to get outside of the pocket and run.”
Tyler talked to me about his strong work ethic. That’s a quality a coach wants in any player but especially at the quarterback position. One of the ways he highlights his work ethic involves the things he works on during the offseason. “I have to work on my accuracy. I can throw the ball pretty hard but that doesn’t mean much if I can’t get it to my receiver”. A quarterback who can acknowledge both his strengths and weaknesses and is willing to work diligently to improve all areas of his game indicates a level of maturity that coaches can appreciate.
To prepare himself for the game, Tyler told me that he watches inspirational YouTube videos. “If I’m with the guys, we usually listen to rap in the locker-room to get our self-hype before the game”. Tyler enjoys listening to the rapper Drake during his pre-game routine.
After my interview with this 2020 quarterback, I believe that he has great potential both physically and mentally to meet the challenges of one of the most important positions on the field of football. Tyler Abshire is a guy who as been flying under the radar but that does not faze him one bit. If anything, it has pushed him to work harder to get noticed. Which, in long the run, not only benefits him but also the school that takes a chance on him.
