Will Tye has always had affection for the game of football, whether it was watching Deion Sanders electrify crowds every Sunday or playing in organized leagues as a kid.
It was at the young age of nine Tye scored a touchdown in one of his first little league games. He recalls his helmet being way too big for him; to the point where it caused him to run sideways. Even under that circumstance he managed catch a pass and take it back for a touchdown.
“My mom got it on film, it was pretty funny, I still look at that from time to time,” Tye said.
Just over ten years later that kid filled out a 6-foot-2, 260 lbs. frame, and has become one of the more noteworthy recruits that have come to play for the Seawolves football team in recent years.
Tye comes to Stony Brook from Florida State University, one of the most historically recognized football programs in NCAA history. The school has sent over 200 players to the NFL as of last year’s draft.
During his stay in Tallahassee, FSU won three bowl games, including the prestigious Orange Bowl against Northern Illinois earlier this year. The team was ranked number eight in the final USA Today Coaches Poll at the conclusion of Tye’s final year with FSU.
Despite being a part of a nationally ranked football program, Tye saw limited playing time for the Seminoles. During his three years with the team, he only caught one reception for seven yards in a game against CharlestonSouthern. Redshirted for his freshman year, he saw playing time in only eight games over two seasons. A big factor for Tye choosing Stony Brook was the chance to be an impact player for the team right away.
“Florida State was one of my favorite schools so it was a dream come true for me, but just to go visit more schools and see what else there was to offer would be something I would have done differently,” Tye said.
It was during his sophomore year at Florida State he began considering other options and started looking into schools where he could get more playing time. Stony Brook was one of the first schools he considered during the recruiting process, something he wished he had handled differently when he was courted by big name programs out of high school.
“I know a lot more now than I did then,” Tye said. “All of my offers came late, I wasn’t rushed but it was like ‘Florida State, who doesn’t want to go there?”
On national signing day in February his decision to transfer became official. Even though his time at Stony Brook has been short, he has enjoyed his experience so far.
“I knew a couple of people that went here that said they loved it, so I took their word for it and I like it here so far,” Tye said.
With Stony Brook in the tail end of their spring practice, Tye is eager to start making on-field contributions when the team officially kicks off in the fall.
“We do a lot of two tight end sets, I’ll probably do more receiving then I do on-the-line blocking, but stretching the field and creating those type of mismatches for linebackers and safeties is what I want to do,” he said. “My goal is to be one of the best tight ends to play here.”
Tye hopes he can do for Stony Brook what his idol Deion Sanders did for the NFL teams he played for during his career.
“Seeing how many people watched it and the fans just going crazy that somebody scored a touchdown or got a tackle brings a lot of excitement, I enjoyed that.” Tye said.
