Tyler Provo saw the interest level balloon and the offers from colleges pile up over the last few weeks. But after every offer, Syracuse remained at the top of the tight end’s list.  

On Tuesday, SU offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett flew down to meet with Provo in Florida. Hackett, Provo and his father watched film for a few hours before discussing his decision.

‘Every time he had an offer, Syracuse was still on the top of the list, so Coach Hackett came down today and he kind of sealed the deal with him,’ his father, Sam Provo, said. ‘He came down to see him and when he got here he said, ‘I don’t think there’s any sense in just waiting around, I think I would just get it done today.”

Provo verbally committed to Hackett and Syracuse on Tuesday, becoming the Orange’s first commit in the class of 2013. The younger brother of former standout SU tight end Nick Provo is rated as a three-star recruit and the No. 28 tight end in his class, according to Scout.com. He is also rated as the No. 2 fullback in the nation by Rivals.com. Provo grabbed nine passes for 100 yards and a touchdown while helping American Heritage School (Fla.) win the Class 3A state championship as a junior last fall.

Provo also had offers from Boston College, Florida International, Louisville and Central Florida while six other schools including Alabama, Wisconsin, Louisiana State and Miami (Fla.) all showed interest, according to Scout.com

Provo said he didn’t want to be used solely as a blocking tight end or out of the backfield as an H-back or fullback, and SU’s plan to utilize him at the tight end position set the school apart from his other offers.

And Provo saw his brother, Nick, enjoy a successful career in the Orange offense under head coach Doug Marrone and Hackett. Nick Provo finished his Syracuse career in 2011 as the all-time leader in receptions by a tight end with 92 and second in receiving yards with 1,027.

‘I saw what he’s done at Syracuse so that kind of made my decision for me,’ Provo said. ‘I’ve been around the coaches there, I’ve seen some of the games, I’ve talked to some of the coaches so yeah, that helped me out a little bit.’

Sam Provo said that comfort zone and familiarity with the program made SU a top choice for his son. But ultimately, the coaching staff’s vision for him on the field sold him on joining the Orange.

‘It wasn’t so much following in his brother’s footsteps,’ Sam Provo said, ‘but he felt that Syracuse was going to be the best fit for him because they pretty much laid out how they wanted to use him in the offensive scheme.’

rjgery@syr.edu

Published on May 15, 2012 at 12:00 pm

Contact Ryne: rjgery@syr.edu