Catching up with Tyler Marcordes
It may one day be one of those stories of legend:
Kid shows up at Georgia Tech’s football offices, hoping to impress the coaches.
Coaches look at his smallish size (200 pounds) and his average film, are polite but it’s obvious to the kid that they aren’t interested.
Kid thinks, “I can be better.”
Kid begins working out.
Kid puts on 30 pounds and grows a couple of inches.
Kid shows up months later at Tech. Kid is now 6-4, 230 pounds with film that went from “Just Go With It” average to “The King’s Speech” excellent.
Tech offers him a scholarship. Kid takes it.
The kid is Tyler Marcordes, one of the Yellow Jackets’ 22 recent signees.
Like his father, Marcordes said he was a late bloomer. As a freshman, he was 5-9, 140 pounds. But once he bloomed he developed into an all-conference quarterback and safety at Normal Community West High School in Normal, Ill.
He is projected to play outside linebacker at Tech. To do so, he has been eating seven meals a day — “bunch of grilled chicken” — and training hard to add the necessary weight and strength. He’s putting in the work even though he said he’s fine if Tech decides to redshirt him.
The whole story is interesting.
Marcordes and his father were considering what colleges he should attend during his junior season. They appreciated Tech’s academic reputation, so they decided to visit Atlanta and the Institute. It was Tyler’s first time in the city. He loved the campus, calling it “a dream.”
Tech’s coaches showed them around, but it seemed obvious to Tyler that the recruiting process probably wasn’t going to go any further.
But he really liked the school and wasn’t ready to give up.
“I didn’t’ start working until after that,” he said. “I wanted to see where I could go with it.”
As he grew other schools began to show an interest. He committed to Illinois in November.
And then he, his dad and a friend flew to Atlanta because they were going to visit Furman, which was still recruiting him. His dad emailed Tech’s coaches to see if they should stop by on their way. Tyler called the Furman’s coaches to tell them he was coming to their game. The coaches told him that they had just been fired.
“We turned around and came back,” he said.
When they arrived at Tech the Jackets coaches were so impressed with the film from his senior season he said that they offered him on the spot. He committed in December.
He hopes to come down to watch a spring practice and he said he’s excited about playing for defensive coordinator Al Groh.
“In the Georgia Tech system, the outside linebacker in the 3-4 has a lot of responsibility and they make a lot of plays,” he said.
– Doug Roberson, AJC
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85 comments Add your comment
majord
February 15th, 2011
12:57 pm
sounds good and first fasho
Ga Tech Old Timer
February 15th, 2011
12:59 pm
Tyler Marcordes – Already knows what it’s going to take to be an outstanding athlete and student at Tech. Welcome aboard young man. Your future is bright – on and off the field.
JOHN
February 15th, 2011
12:59 pm
From everything I have seen and read this kid will be lucky to ever see the field except for spcial teams. Many Ga Tech fans I have talked to feel this was a wasted schlorship.
JMB
February 15th, 2011
12:59 pm
This is the kind of player that make Tech fans proud. Go Jackets!!
JMB
February 15th, 2011
1:03 pm
No need for your negativity, john.
GIVE ME A BREAK
February 15th, 2011
1:21 pm
Comments from John, the little dawg.
GIVE ME A BREAK
February 15th, 2011
1:24 pm
Congrats, Tyler. Glad to have you. Sounds like a team leader. ” GO JACKETS “
Cewbee
February 15th, 2011
1:35 pm
He may be another Keith Brooking – growing into a stud while @ Tech!
Neal
February 15th, 2011
1:37 pm
Welcome aboard Tyler – anxious to see you in a Yellow Jacket uniform!
Go Jackets!
JasonG
February 15th, 2011
1:37 pm
Talk about work ethic. He’s the kind of guy that will be pulling a sled at 6 am Sunday morning after missing a tackle. Hopefully he won’t be offsides too much because he sounds like Rudy…
collegeballfan
February 15th, 2011
1:38 pm
Nice story.
Nice testament to hard work also. There is probably a self help book in this story somewhere.
Coach(sic) Paul Johnson
February 15th, 2011
1:39 pm
Georgia Tech has lost 5 of their last 6 football games, only beating Duke.
Yellow Skeeter
February 15th, 2011
1:42 pm
Enjoy your “dream” campus, Tyler.
Once you have to step over dead bodies, and you get mugged twice a week, it will become a “reality” campus.
Brian
February 15th, 2011
1:46 pm
Congrats Tyler. Love the size and speed, keep working hard, and go jackets!!
JasonG
February 15th, 2011
1:50 pm
To all of the Dawg trolls: I bet he won’t have trouble qualifying to get into school. Enjoy watching Crowell play RB for Mississippi Gulf Coast CC next year.
MiamiJacket
February 15th, 2011
2:24 pm
His senior highlights on youtube are pretty impressive. Nobody could tackle this kid. Don’t be surprised if he winds up playing some QB either. He runs like a fullback.
BigTimeTECHFan
February 15th, 2011
2:28 pm
Nice read, Just watch his highlight videos, the kid can play. He plays and looks like he loves to hit, and he hits hard. Tyler and Shaq Mason are going to the two sleeper signees this year. I don’t think he’ll red-shirt, at a minimum he will be gunner on kick and punt teams as a fresh.
don
February 15th, 2011
2:45 pm
jason g, just go listen to joe hamilton butcher the english language and that is proof the admission standards at tech are not what you all think they are. duke, vandy, stanford, now those are real schools.
BTW crowell already has a 21 on the act, wonder what stephon marbury scored?
GT75
February 15th, 2011
3:07 pm
Kid is big, fast, loves contact, and works hard. Great addition. Must be a great athlete to grow that much, that fast and maintain his agility. He looked like a man amongst boys in his film. 6′4″ , 230 lb QB running over linebackers, wow.
Big Ol Stinger
February 15th, 2011
3:16 pm
Hard to say don. Probably higher than Tony Cole though.
wreckbuzz
February 15th, 2011
3:32 pm
Just ignore the dawg fans.
This kid will be successful. He has physcial ability based on the video and he has the work ethic based on this story. If the majority of the players had that kind of attitude, there wouldn’t have been a 6-7 season on the Flats. Signing kids like this was no accident. They needed an influx of good attititude as much as athletic talent (and I think they got both).
NovaJacket
February 15th, 2011
3:35 pm
Nice research John. He was going to Illinois before he got the offer that he wanted. Rivals had him as a three star. His dad played in the NFL, so no one considers this a wasted scholly.
Not The Only
February 15th, 2011
4:20 pm
Speaking of “SLEEPER” recruits. The running back, Snoddy, is another sleeper who will be a GREAT ONE!!!
This GT recruiting year will PROVE to be the REAL State of GA DREAM TEAM.
The other state school will PROVE to the BAD DREAM.
THWG!!!!!!
Not The Only
February 15th, 2011
4:23 pm
The other state school’s 2011 recruits will PROVE to a BAD DREAM after all of the arrests and losses!!!
THWG!!!!
JM
February 15th, 2011
4:29 pm
hard work pays off! congratulations Tyler.
Paddy
February 15th, 2011
5:01 pm
John………hope you are not a Dawgs fan. You sound like some of the players on our team the last few years that almost brought down CMR. My hope is that you are just a primary school kid who does not know better.
Go Dawgs
Delbert D.
February 15th, 2011
5:01 pm
Clay Matthews was 6-1 and 163 in his junior year in high school.
john
February 15th, 2011
5:12 pm
Heres to hoping the kid gained the pounds the right way. We have been burned before but sounds like the real deal this time. There is a lot of potential in some of the “sleeper” recruits we have this year, I just hope they can be coached up.
Ramblin Man
February 15th, 2011
6:57 pm
The kid sounds good on paper and looked pretty good in film but I know nothing of the talent he faced. I see a redshirt if they want him as an LB unless he plays special teams. I also doubt his facebook page reads about getting paid and being strapped like some recruits I know.
Okeefe/Bob
February 15th, 2011
7:10 pm
JOHN Look at the films of thios kid and then make the negative statements. This guy is a sleeper ,yes, but I’ll bet he earns his way.He’s big , fast and he has a lot of athleticism–he’ll beok.
ed
February 15th, 2011
10:04 pm
4 schools run the option. navy, air force, army, ga tech.
tech won one game in its last 6 games, duke
tech plays in the acc
tech has to lure fans with free hot dogs and cokes
tech has to lie about the capacity of its stadium
tech will never be able to lure decent talent as long as cpj is there cause no player wants to play for a jack ass who runs a high school offense in a joke of a conference with a terrible fan base.
NC Jacket
February 15th, 2011
10:19 pm
Hey ed you are supposed to use a capital letter for a formal name OK Ed.
Lesson to all to help the less educated.
Dmajor
February 16th, 2011
12:40 am
So if duke vandy and Stanford are real schools and tech isn’t, then uga is relatively a joke. Ps check out the ROI on tech compared to those. Whose debt free and who is still paying back 200k in student loans?? Riddle me that!!!
Stinger
February 16th, 2011
5:59 am
After JUCO, Crowell goes to prison. Most dawgs fans I have talked to say he will never take a step on the field in aATHENS.
Paddy
February 16th, 2011
6:13 am
Stinger…..being a big Dawg fan also; I have never heard one fan say Crowell would never play a down in Athens. Where doe this crap get started anyway???
Paddy
February 16th, 2011
6:27 am
Hey guys, the boy had a scholarship from Illinois, a Big Ten school! Those just don’t just fall off of trees because you are a boy scout and go to church on Sunday. It is not like Tech had to beat out Temple, Buffalo or Miami Hurricanes to get the kid.
Truth
February 16th, 2011
8:00 am
How bad did Mr. Walker murder the english language when he accepted the (JOHN) Heisman Trophy?
JOHN
February 16th, 2011
8:01 am
Hey Brown Growler, it’s not hard to look good against pee wee competition.
reebok
February 16th, 2011
8:03 am
Sounds like the young man is determined and has a great work ethic. I’m glad he’s a Yellow Jacket and I hope he has a great career!
brent cunningham
February 16th, 2011
9:12 am
starting from this date forward, let’s see how many of the leg humpers from this great class are still in school. The lure of bars, booze, and broads in athens area will get alot of them. Good pick Jackets, I’m sure the young student athelete will represent us well.
dawgfan
February 16th, 2011
9:23 am
Brent, you might want to go check the putrid graduation rate of your joke football team before you go popping off at the mouth like an ignorant goob. Besides, whether our players graduate or not and no matter how many brain cells they might kill, they can still wax that nerd azz on a football field like it was nobody’s business. But keep running that big mouth Techie and spreading vicious lies. That’s always worked so well for you clowns in the past. 9 of 10 and counting…
Thanks.
DawginLex
February 16th, 2011
10:06 am
stinger,
You should be ashamed for saying crap about Crowell just because he signed with UGA.
Going to JUCO? – Nope. He is going to UGA
Going to prison? – Nope. He is going to college after he graduates high school this spring.
All this talk of prison and thugs and felons and blah blah blah is a sad attempt to make all the UGA football players out to be bad people.
In reality stinger, it says a whole lot more about you and your desperate attempt to make yourself out to be better than everyone else.
Sad.
North Ave Killer Beez
February 16th, 2011
10:12 am
JOHN: Has never seen the field in his life, besides viewing from his seat in the stands. Waste of a fan. I don’t know what you saw in the film, but this kids is a beast. Glad he chose GT.
We_Run_This_Country
February 16th, 2011
10:33 am
DawginLex – have you seen Crowell’s Facebook posts? You do realize he is self-reporting some recruiting violations through some ignorant posts on his part? Talking about receiving money, going to bars, etc on his recruiting trips to Athens……I hope he realizes that the NCAA monitors FB posts…especially posts like his. He may be suspended before he even gets to UGA!
DawginLex
February 16th, 2011
10:41 am
don’t do Facebook. Regardless, stinger’s kind make all the UGA players out to be thugs and felons and goons. It is sad.
dadgumitpaw
February 16th, 2011
10:52 am
Too bad that these blogs cannot be about the subject at hand due to the back and forth silliness between GT fans and uga fans….silliness that starts because uga fans obviously care more about insulting GT than discussing their own team on their own blogs. I really believe doing this is on an almost daily basis is, to some of them, the most drivng force in their lives. Think about that.
By the way, some GT fans do the same on uga blogs, but not nearly as much. Read them if you doubt it.
Ugahater715
February 16th, 2011
10:57 am
Glad to have you on the flats. Go Jackets!
DawginLex
February 16th, 2011
11:02 am
dadgumitpaw,
So you are defending stinger?
blazer
February 16th, 2011
11:05 am
why is Tech not going after the Brooks kid for basketball-the ivy leage teams are after him!
Smart and a good defender and player-oops-Hewitt is the coach!!
dadgumitpaw
February 16th, 2011
11:12 am
DawginLex,
I am not defending stinger…but he did not say anything until yeller skeeter and a couple other dawg fans started in. What stinger said was silly and wrong but that is the kind of stuff that is easy to type when you try to read a blog about one of your recruits, and the blog turns into crap from a rival team’s fans. To your credit, you and Paddy were two dawg fans who did not stoop to that level.
dawgfan
February 16th, 2011
12:49 pm
DawginLex hit the nail on the head @ 10:06. I always get a big kick out of Tech fans crying like little girls about what a big fat meanie I am. Well, act like scumbags and I will treat you like scumbags. Tech fans will make up whatever lie they need to in order to disparage UGA. Okay, not all Tech fans. Probably not even most Tech fans. But its enough Tech fans and they make enough noise where I feel its necessary to lay the smack down. All this thug talk is a flat out lie. Say what you want to about UGA fans, but we don’t make up lies about your players. I actually have absolutely nothing against your players whatsoever. Take a look in the mirror Techies. YOU are the problem. Filthy no good liars.
Thanks.
wolfman
February 16th, 2011
12:50 pm
Don’t you just love that kids with this kind of work ethic get a chance!
GTBob
February 16th, 2011
1:06 pm
That’s nice dawgfan. Thanks for dropping by with your daily nonsense.
wolfman, I agree. Getting a player that is a proven hard worker is good for him and great for our team. That kind of attitude and commitment will not only increase his chances of succeeding but will wear off on other players and can improve the attitude and morale of the whole team. I’m happy to be getting guys like this.
dadgumitpaw
February 16th, 2011
1:36 pm
dawgfan..
I don’t think you are a ‘big fat meanie’…I think you reacted angrily as a fan of your team when you read a stupid post by stinger, just as stinger likely reacted after yet another GT blog was going down the tubes due to uga fans trying to take over the blog with their own stupid posts. Clean old fashioned hate has evolved into this modern techo blog silliness.
dadgumitpaw
February 16th, 2011
1:38 pm
“techno”
Brock
February 16th, 2011
1:48 pm
dogfan woke up long enough from his stuper to call us scumbags and to put us in our place………on a tech blog none the less. you are the biggest loser.
Coach(sic) Markkk Rikkkkkkt
February 16th, 2011
1:55 pm
ugag won 6 lost 7 …just like Tech.
Coach(sic) Markkk Rikkkkkkt
February 16th, 2011
1:58 pm
Hey, dawgfart
you leg-humpers are the epitome of the word ’scumbag’
Coach(sic) Paul Johnson
February 16th, 2011
2:22 pm
Again,
Georgia Tech has lost 5 of their last 6 football games, only beating Duke.
Just a reminder.
Luke
February 16th, 2011
2:27 pm
Hey “Coach”.
Georgia Tech and Georgia both have lost 6 of their last 13 football games. Skewing the stats in not impressive and if you want to throw in stats, you’re right, Georgia Tech lost 5 out of their past 6. They were ever beaten by the other opponent.
Headley Lamar
February 16th, 2011
2:47 pm
ugag won 6 lost 7 …just like Tech.
We went 6-7 in the SEC. Thats almost the equivalent of being 11-2 in the ACC and being ACC champions.
Georgia Tech and Georgia both have lost 6 of their last 13 football games
In completely different conferences against drastically different competition.
BigTimeTECHFan
February 16th, 2011
3:10 pm
We went 6-7 in the SEC – You didn’t even play Alabama or LSU and lost to Florida when they were down.
The teams UGA lost to would be average in ACC:
Miss St: Tech killed 2 year in a row
South Carolina who played in SEC conf title got killed by FSU, who was runner up in ACC. Nobody in SEC beat Auburn, so it’s not like the whole conference was as good as them. Yet Clemson took them to overtime in Auburn, did better then any SEC team against them, and Clemson was just average ACC team.
Luke
February 16th, 2011
3:21 pm
Headley,
You went 0-3 against the SEC West, and managed to beat the three worst teams in the SEC East, two of which went to a bowl game yes, but lets be real, they had a combined record 6-18 against SEC teams (including UGA). So you saying that its completely different conferences against drastically different competition kind of validates my point. You cannot judge a team by wins and losses alone. Lets be real, UGA should have beaten Auburn and Colorado, but guess what…they didn’t.
So thanks for proving my point Headley.
Robert
February 16th, 2011
6:37 pm
John,
Kiss my donkey!
dawgfan
February 16th, 2011
7:48 pm
Its ashame UGA and Tech both went 6-7 in 2011. How will we ever know which was the better team? If only there were some objective criteria or test we could use to find out. Tech fans, can you maybe come up with something? You guys are obviously a lot smarter than us dumb hillbilly redneck UGA fans so its probably best that you take a crack at it instead of us. I’ve wracked my brain and can’t think of anything. Anytime I try to think of a solution I just start thinking about Thanksgiving for some strange reason. Weird huh?
Thanks.
Genius Jacket
February 16th, 2011
8:01 pm
We finally get a recruit I like. He’s a white boy who can pass math classes.
Paddy
February 17th, 2011
6:42 am
Genius Jacket……..not so fast there GJ! He may look white, but he is just passing. Both of his maternal grandparents are black and were math assit. professors at Whicita St. U.
Ramblin Man
February 17th, 2011
7:49 am
dawgfan,
Nobody disputes the fact that UGA beat GT last year, but fact is both went 6-7 and looked bad no matter what conference they play in. The fact that some UGA fans use the “but we play in the SEC” mantra all the time makes them look stupid. Since you spend more time on GT blogs than anybody I know I would think you might have caught on to the fact that many GT fans don’t dispute that UGA should win considering how they recruit compared to GT. The fact that you come on here daily and try and look all tough while pounding your chest about how good UGA is does give me a good laugh though, so I thank you for that.
Hal
February 17th, 2011
8:02 am
He sounds hungry to prove himself to me. Best of luck to him.
Tech Man
February 17th, 2011
10:34 am
Sounds like a Tech Man already. Well done by the coaching staff. The young man has a bright future…on and off the field.
gt4ever
February 17th, 2011
1:56 pm
John,
Eddie Lee Ivory was the same kind of player….. Hard worker, commited to making himself better…. This kid sounds a lot like that, a kid that doesn’t have quit in his vocabulary….. He may never be more than a special teams player, but the upside to this kind of kid is not projectable. He could end up in the NFL for 12 years….. Face it, we have to get these kind of kids, because we have NO recruiting coaches to get us any better!
gt4ever
February 17th, 2011
2:50 pm
TECH MAN.
This young man practically threw himself at our football program…… This coaching staff had little or nothing to do with this kid finally commiting…. The coaches are doing a horrible JOB recruiting….
Not Disappointed
February 17th, 2011
2:58 pm
glad to have you young man! Ramblin Wreck!
BIG BEE
February 17th, 2011
5:06 pm
Nice to read the blogs and notice who always starts the negative stuff. Here dawgie,dawgie, start another so we can have another laugh.
FSU ACC
February 17th, 2011
6:59 pm
awwww how cute cpj recruited Rudy. at least your hypocrite coach didn’t have to worry about this kid taking a visit anywhere else.
on the plus side Rudy was in Lord of the Rings and we all know techies loved that movie.
buzzo
February 17th, 2011
7:04 pm
you better watch your smart alec comments about Lord of the Rings you big meanie or I’ll cast a spell on you with my 18th power hexing wand.
FSU ACC
February 17th, 2011
7:06 pm
You have to love the gt fan base. 78 whole comments over a 2 day period. The SEC kicked you losers out and it’s only a matter of time before we do too.
Free Shoes University
February 17th, 2011
7:58 pm
Hmmm
gt4ever
February 17th, 2011
8:46 pm
No FSU ACC LOSER,
We left the SEC, and if my memory serves me right we beat you the last time we played…… So go POUND sand! Typical FSU fan, absolutely no football IQ…. Or any IQ for that matter….
bitter nesbitt
February 17th, 2011
9:53 pm
finally good news—i hope this kid does not have any hang ups====like killing 150 year old oak trees—-who would consider alabamma now???
so kids dont have a clue—-bammer land = neck ville
Tech Grads Need A Hand - Help Atlanta
February 18th, 2011
8:41 am
Hope Jackets can get it together on the field next year. Two Tech grads and a BC grad (ACC fellow) are running a PR campaign to try to keep the Thrashers in Atlanta. We know some of you could care less about hockey, but many Tech grads do like hockey – and the Club Hockey Team at Tech will indirectly be hurt if the Thrashers move to Canada. I was once the captain of Tech’s Club Hockey Team. How can you help? Please go the the page below and “like us” on face book and forward the link below to a few of your Tech buddies – any assistance you can provide would be greatly appreciated – we also love Tech and Tech sports – as we know you do:
http://www.keepthethrashers.com/fans.html
superDawg
February 18th, 2011
4:33 pm
stinger is a beeotch and after all the GEORGIA wins over tek I would keep my mouth shut.tek ain’t sheet and should not bring up anything that has to do with UGA.
Paul Hewiit
February 18th, 2011
8:38 pm
I poisoned the trees outside of Alexander Coliseum. I must of used too much poison though, as apparently I have killed the entire basketball program.
buzzman
February 18th, 2011
11:49 pm
Hey, Doug this blog has been here for 3 or 4 days. Do you ever come up with any news that may be current. Let me get this correct you are the Tech beat writer? Do you sleep all day long. Certainly there is something new going on at Ga. Tech? Get all this old junk off the journal web page.
GT Fan
February 19th, 2011
12:14 pm
Paul Hewiit
February 18th, 2011
8:38 pm
… now THAT is funny! Its a sad state of affairs when jokes like this will probably receive no comebacks, because EVERYONE knows its true ;-(