Scott Swanson
Sweet Home quarterback Aiden Tyler signed a letter of intent Wednesday, Feb. 10, to play football for Western Oregon University.
With his family – parents Nick and Rachel Tyler, and sister Chloe looking on, Aiden Tyler became the sixth Husky athlete from this year’s senior class to sign to play at the college level. In signing with Western, he follows Bailee Hartsook, also his longtime girlfriend, who signed in November to play volleyball for the Wolves.
He is the second football player in the past several years to move to the college level; Keegan Holly is a junior at Lewis and Clark after signing in 2018. The Pioneers canceled their football schedule this year due to concerns about “high-risk” sports during the COVID pandemic.
“I liked Western because it’s close to home,” said Tyler, who is undecided on a major, but said he is interested in teaching and coaching. “And they’ve got a great football program. They have a great education program there. I mean, all around, it is just a great fit for me.”
Athletic Director Nate Tyler, Aiden’s uncle, himself a WOU graduate, called it a “very special event” when Husky athletes go on to play in college, and it was even more of a “special moment” since it was his nephew.
He said playing at Western will be “a great opportunity for Aiden and I look forward to watching him, obviously.”
Western Oregon plays in the NCAA Division II Great Northwest Athletic Conference, which includes schools in Alaska, British Columbia, Washington, Idaho and Montana. The Wolves finished the 2019 season 7-4 under Head Coach Arne Ferguson (90-72).
Ferguson recently completed his 15th season at his alma mater as the team made history claiming a share of its first-ever Great Northwest Athletic Conference title in 2019 which led to Ferguson being named the GNAC Coach of the Year.
The Wolves signed 31 players on football National Signing Day, Feb. 3, including four quarterbacks from around Oregon.
Western Oregon has five quarterbacks listed on its current roster, redshirt junior Ryan Worthley of Tigard, who has attempted three passes in three games, and four others who have never appeared in a college game. The Wolves did not play any football last fall.
Nate Tyler and football coach Dustin Nichol both noted that COVID has made things tough for would-be college athletes, since high school sports have been shut down for nearly an entire year and there have been limited chances for athletes to showcase their skills for recruiters.
“COVID has thrown a wrench into everybody’s plans,” Tyler said. “It has ruined a lot of opportunities for kids.”
Nichol said it’s been hard for players like Aiden Tyler, who started for the Huskies last year as a junior, to get “stats, exposure.”
He credited Tyler for doing what he could to improve himself, including weight training that’s added about 20 pounds of “good weight” following last year’s basketball season and participation in an all-star game in Texas last summer, as well as competing with other Huskies in a 7-on-7 passing league.
“He’s still getting out there, touching the ball, being competitive and getting as much film as he could possibly muster and put together to get out there to people. I don’t know what else a person could do in these times, short of just moving out of state. It’s kind of a tragic situation that he hasn’t gotten a chance to put his wares out on the field.”
As a junior, Tyler completed 110 of 259 pass attempts for the Huskies, for 15 touchdowns and with eight interceptions, for 1,264 yards. He also was Sweet Home’s leading rusher, with 57 carries for 282 yards, one for a touchdown.
Tyler said COVID has been “tough,” but we tried to make the best of things.”
He said he contacted Western Quarterback Coach Trey Shimabukuro, who took that position after playing for the Wolves, and the recruiting process was “quick.”
“Within a few days he responded to me and wanted me on campus. And so we went down there and I did a workout with them and saw the campus and then ended it with an offer.”
Nichol said he believes Tyler will be a good fit at Western, which runs a spread-type offense similar to Sweet Home’s.
“I think they may be a little more pocket-type,” Nichol said. “He’s going to do fine.”