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The University of Utah Athletics
Tyler Huntley: The Mentality To Succeed
11/19/2019 8:00 AM | Football
Growing up in Dania, Fla., Tyler Huntley started playing football at a young age. From the moment he could walk, he started dreaming of playing at the collegiate and pro levels. With his introduction to the sport at such a young age, it gave him a competitive edge over those who didn't get the same early start.
"When I was young and it came to sports, I would always just pick up a football. It's been my favorite sport ever since I can remember," recalled Huntley. "I started playing flag football when I was three and then I started playing tackle football when I was four."
As soon as he was able to play competitive tackle football, Huntley knew he wanted to try playing at the collegiate level and perhaps in the NFL. With the mentality that he had to succeed in the sport, Huntley knew that these things could be achievable with the right amount of hard work.
"Football started getting really serious for me during my junior year of high school. That's when I knew it was time to take my game to the next level in order for colleges to start taking me seriously and offer me to the opportunity to play at their school," said Huntley. "Since I had been playing football for so long, I always kept the mentality of working to get to the next level and pushing myself to a higher standard."
During his time at Hallandale High School, Huntley was a player known throughout the state. He was the 2015 Gatorade Florida Player of the Year as well as a two-time All-Broward County selection. As a starter at Hallandale, he went 34-10 over four years, passing for 9,053 yards and 106 touchdowns. During his senior season, he led Hallandale to a record of 10-3 while advancing to the 5A regional finals for the first time in school history.
"My time at Hallandale was great. It was such an exciting environment to play in and it really helped me develop as a player. We weren't a very big school, but we were really good at football and everyone supported us so much," explained Huntley.
Huntley was heavily recruited by several colleges. In addition to Utah, coaches from South Florida, Louisville and Cincinnati were pursuing him as well. When it came time to decide where he wanted to play college football, there were certain things about Utah that stuck out to Huntley.
"I wanted to come out to the U because of the mountains and the family environment that surrounded the team. The atmosphere of the home games also felt like nothing else. It made me feel at home even though I was so far away from home," said Huntley.
Huntley was also drawn to the University of Utah because two of his Hallandale teammates, Zack Moss and Demari Simpkins, had committed to playing there. Since arriving at the U in 2016, those three have played significant roles in the team's success.
"Knowing that Demari and Zack were coming here, that played a major role in me deciding to come to Utah as well," said Huntley. "Even though I was going to be attending college so far away from home, it was great knowing that I was going to have friends out here who would be helping me through everything."
During his freshman year in 2016, Huntley was able to play in four games, which included the Foster Farms Bowl against Indiana. That season, he completed 5-of-7 passes for 60 yards with nine rushes for 15 yards and a touchdown. Since that season, Huntley has been able to improve significantly each year.
In 2017, Huntley played and started in 10 games. He completed 63.8 percent of his passes to rank third in the Pac-12, throwing for 2,411 yards and 15 touchdowns. Last year, Huntley started nine games before missing the last five due to injury, completing 150-of-234 passes for 1,788 yards and 12 touchdowns.
Now in his final season with the Utes, Huntley is highly motivated to leave his mark on Utah football and achieve the goals that he has for this year's team.
"The goal I have for myself is to just stay healthy and have a full season. As a team, I want us to go 1-0 every week and just focus on our season game by game," explained Huntley. "Along with that, I have high hopes for us to take the Pac-12 championship and then pursue a spot in the playoff."
Through 10 games this season, he ranks second in the FBS in completion percentage (.742), fifth in ESPN's total QBR rating (89.2), fifth in the FBS in pass efficiency (190.1) and second in yards per pass attempt (11.47).
Huntley is on track to graduate from the University of Utah in December, earning a degree in sociology. After his time with the Utes is over, Huntley is determined to pursue a career in the NFL. With the motivation he has always possessed for pushing himself to the next level, this is something that has been in his line of sight for a long time.
Huntley is a very hard-working and team-oriented player who wants nothing but the overall success of those who surround him. As he progresses through his final season as a Ute, his motivation is to make sure this year's team achieves nothing but greatness during the 2019 season.
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"When I was young and it came to sports, I would always just pick up a football. It's been my favorite sport ever since I can remember," recalled Huntley. "I started playing flag football when I was three and then I started playing tackle football when I was four."
As soon as he was able to play competitive tackle football, Huntley knew he wanted to try playing at the collegiate level and perhaps in the NFL. With the mentality that he had to succeed in the sport, Huntley knew that these things could be achievable with the right amount of hard work.
"Football started getting really serious for me during my junior year of high school. That's when I knew it was time to take my game to the next level in order for colleges to start taking me seriously and offer me to the opportunity to play at their school," said Huntley. "Since I had been playing football for so long, I always kept the mentality of working to get to the next level and pushing myself to a higher standard."
During his time at Hallandale High School, Huntley was a player known throughout the state. He was the 2015 Gatorade Florida Player of the Year as well as a two-time All-Broward County selection. As a starter at Hallandale, he went 34-10 over four years, passing for 9,053 yards and 106 touchdowns. During his senior season, he led Hallandale to a record of 10-3 while advancing to the 5A regional finals for the first time in school history.
"My time at Hallandale was great. It was such an exciting environment to play in and it really helped me develop as a player. We weren't a very big school, but we were really good at football and everyone supported us so much," explained Huntley.
Huntley was heavily recruited by several colleges. In addition to Utah, coaches from South Florida, Louisville and Cincinnati were pursuing him as well. When it came time to decide where he wanted to play college football, there were certain things about Utah that stuck out to Huntley.
"I wanted to come out to the U because of the mountains and the family environment that surrounded the team. The atmosphere of the home games also felt like nothing else. It made me feel at home even though I was so far away from home," said Huntley.
Huntley was also drawn to the University of Utah because two of his Hallandale teammates, Zack Moss and Demari Simpkins, had committed to playing there. Since arriving at the U in 2016, those three have played significant roles in the team's success.
"Knowing that Demari and Zack were coming here, that played a major role in me deciding to come to Utah as well," said Huntley. "Even though I was going to be attending college so far away from home, it was great knowing that I was going to have friends out here who would be helping me through everything."
During his freshman year in 2016, Huntley was able to play in four games, which included the Foster Farms Bowl against Indiana. That season, he completed 5-of-7 passes for 60 yards with nine rushes for 15 yards and a touchdown. Since that season, Huntley has been able to improve significantly each year.
In 2017, Huntley played and started in 10 games. He completed 63.8 percent of his passes to rank third in the Pac-12, throwing for 2,411 yards and 15 touchdowns. Last year, Huntley started nine games before missing the last five due to injury, completing 150-of-234 passes for 1,788 yards and 12 touchdowns.
Now in his final season with the Utes, Huntley is highly motivated to leave his mark on Utah football and achieve the goals that he has for this year's team.
"The goal I have for myself is to just stay healthy and have a full season. As a team, I want us to go 1-0 every week and just focus on our season game by game," explained Huntley. "Along with that, I have high hopes for us to take the Pac-12 championship and then pursue a spot in the playoff."
Through 10 games this season, he ranks second in the FBS in completion percentage (.742), fifth in ESPN's total QBR rating (89.2), fifth in the FBS in pass efficiency (190.1) and second in yards per pass attempt (11.47).
Huntley is on track to graduate from the University of Utah in December, earning a degree in sociology. After his time with the Utes is over, Huntley is determined to pursue a career in the NFL. With the motivation he has always possessed for pushing himself to the next level, this is something that has been in his line of sight for a long time.
Huntley is a very hard-working and team-oriented player who wants nothing but the overall success of those who surround him. As he progresses through his final season as a Ute, his motivation is to make sure this year's team achieves nothing but greatness during the 2019 season.
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