Tyler Byrd: Four-star CB Byrd flips from Miami to Vols

He was originally a Miami commit, but flipped his college choice after his main recruiter, Larry Scott, left for the Tennessee tight end coaching job.

Fils-aime, who has been committed to the Vols since late July, gave them a natural connection to Byrd. The 5-foot-11, 169-pound receiver is the No. 109 receiver in the nation and the No. 101 overall prospect in Florida. Byrd joins three-stars Baylen Buchanan of Peachtree Ridge (Ga.) High School and Marquill Osborne of Hough (N.C.) High Schools on the Orange & White pledge sheet at corner. Byrd also held offers from Florida, Georgia, and USC among others. Byrd moved on to Miami in February 2015, citing how close to his Naples, Florida, home he could play.

Last week, Byrd’s best friend Carlin Fils-Aime jokingly recruited Byrd to the Tennessee class with a Sadie Hawkins Dance invitation. Despite the negative attention he received from Gators fans, he soaked in the love and support of a Miami fan base eager for him to put the program back on the map.

Following Byrd’s announcement Tennessee head coach Butch Jones boasted on Twitter that the team had acquired a “big time athlete from the sunshine state”.

“I would’ve taken (the Tennessee visit) if he was there or not”.

Williams also had a scholarship offer from Virginia Tech.

When it came down to it family prevailed over a year-long commitment.

In the USAAAB, Byrd registered an intercepted a pass and blocked an extra point and popped up off the Alamo Dome artificial turf and returned it 80 yards for a conversion.

Byrd, out of Naples, FL, is a 4-star, Army All-American who had a huge game at the U.S. Army All-American Bowl.