CU Buffs' Jordyn Tyson not letting hype get in way of progress

Aug. 14—On the first day of Colorado's preseason camp, quarterbacks Drew Carter and Brendon Lewis were asked to name some players that have impressed them this summer.

Several days later, senior receiver RJ Sneed and sophomore cornerback Nikko Reed were asked the same question.

The first player they all mentioned was true freshman receiver Jordyn Tyson.

"His athleticism and how he approaches the game," Sneed said when asked what makes Tyson special. "In runs, he makes sure he's in the front. I remember doing summer 7-on-7, he was making plays here and there. As a young guy, you kind of get stuck, like, 'OK I'm doing good,' but every day he was trying to do something to show off that, 'I belong here.'"

Although not the most highly recruited player in CU's 2022 class, the 6-foot-2, 180-pound Tyson is showing that he does, in fact, belong. Yet, even as he hears the hype around him, Tyson is striving to remain humble.

"Really, (receivers coach Phil McGeoghan) keeps me humble," Tyson said. "He says all the little stuff I'm working on, he's not going to compliment me too much so I don't get a big head. I just try to be humble and just keep working and keep working so I can just be a good player in the Pac-12."

Tyson was a late bloomer in high school.

As a sophomore, he played at John Paul II High School in Plano, Tex. The next year, he transferred to Independence High School in Frisco, Tex., catching 21 passes for 305 yards and five touchdowns. That drew some attention from scouts. Colorado State, New Mexico, Texas State and Tulsa were among the schools to offer him a scholarship in the spring of 2021.

When he visited CU in June of 2021, Tyson impressed the Buffs' coaches, who offered him a scholarship. That would be Tyson's only Power 5 conference offer and he committed on Aug. 12, 2021 — his 17th birthday. Then, he busted loose as a senior.

After transferring to Allen (Texas) High School, he caught 80 passes for 1,512 yards and 12 touchdowns as a senior.

"I was definitely a late bloomer," said Tyson, who turned 18 on Friday. "I committed kind of early, so I was a late bloomer and I ended my recruitment process early."

After a breakout season at Allen, Tyson has continued to blossom in his early days at CU.

McGeoghan, CU's first-year receivers coach, said the early hype is justified, but that he doesn't let the most talented players he coaches get caught up in the hype.

"If you have a great amount of talent, then I'm going to be even a more demanding position coach than I am, because my job is to maximize your God-given ability," McGeoghan said.

McGeoghan focuses on every detail of the position and said he's never seen a true freshman with good enough details. He's made sure Tyson gets that message every day.

"That outside noise is basically things that aren't real to him," McGeoghan said. "His reality is, it's not good enough. 'Nice job; it's not good enough.' ... So I think the reality of it is, he's got a long way to go, but also the talent is there.

"The more talent that a player has, that should, if they have the right mentality, give you an opportunity to coach them even more detailed and be a harder position coach on them."

Tyson said he has recognized McGeoghan getting tougher, but he likes it.

"It makes me get in my playbook more, makes me want to go harder, makes me want to do everything better," Tyson said. "Even if I'm making plays, they're always gonna get on something little."

Tyson knows that fine-tuning the details will make him better and he's not satisfied with what he's done. He is pleased with his progress, but said, "I feel like I can be doing a little bit better."

An exceptional athlete who can back flip and do a 360-degree dunk with a basketball, Tyson's already making a name for himself on the practice field with the Buffs. But, he's eager to bust loose on game days, too.

"I'm just trying to shock the world and show them how I really am," he said. "I feel like I (can be a big part of the offense) if I just keep doing what I'm supposed to do and just keep working on my stuff, get in my playbook."