Bear Bryant’s Great Grandson Interested in Notre Dame?

Paul Tyson is a class of 2019 pro-style quarterback just getting started in his recruiting.  He’s visited several schools including Clemson and Memphis over the last year and he is reportedly visiting Notre Dame this spring.  Paul Tyson also happens to be the great grandson of none other than Paul “Bear” Bryant – the legendary head coach from Alabama.

Say what? Yes, you read that right, the great grandson of Bear Bryant is not a lock for Alabama and is planning on visiting Notre Dame this spring.  According to the AL.com report, Tyson is open to anyone.

“Growing up I was an Alabama fan, but now as I’m growing up and becoming more of an athlete and prospect I’d say I’m open to anybody,” Paul Tyson said. “Whoever has an interest in me.”

At this point in the recruiting process Tyson does not have any offers but in addition to Clemson, Notre Dame, and Alabama showing interest, Mississippi State and Southern Miss are interested as well.  A scroll through his Twitter shows pics of Tyson on visits at Southern Miss, Memphis, Alabama, and Missouri over the last few months.

Tyson is getting recruiting hype just because of his great grandfather either.  The kid has some skills and has the build of a D1 quarterback.  At 6’4″, 210 lbs already, Tyson should be pretty filled out by the time he enters whatever school he decides to attend in two years.   Watch the highlights below too.  He’s got a pretty good arm for a high school sophomore.

What might be as surprising as the idea of the great grandson of the Bear playing college football anywhere other than Alabama is the fact that Tyson is the first in Bryant’s lineage to potentially be a Division 1 recruiting prospect.  Every other descendant of the Bear has apparently attended Alabama, but none have been college football prospects before Tyson.

Let’s get back to the idea of Bryant’s great grandson potentially playing for Notre Dame or Clemson or Auburn though.  This would be akin to a great grandson of Knute Rockne playing for Michigan or Ohio State.  It would make any Notre Dame fans’ skin crawl.  Alabama is recruiting Tyson, but that very notion was not lost on the author of the article.

Yes, Alabama has shown interest in the 6-foot-4, pro-style quarterback, too, but the very thought of Paul Bryant’s DNA playing for Notre Dame probably resonates like blasphemy in a state where Bryant isn’t just revered as the greatest coach in the history of college football, but rather worshipped more like a deity.

To make matters even more interesting, Tyson is being coached at Hewitt-Trussville HS by a protege of Gus Malzahn – the head coach at Alabama’s arch rival Auburn.  That alone probably doesn’t set too well with Alabama fans.

There is still a long way to go for the class of 2018 let alone the class of 2019, but the idea of Tyson getting recruited by Notre Dame is pretty intriguing right now and if nothing else, it’s fun to discuss this time of year.  Setting the whole Bear Bryant angle aside, Notre Dame might not even be in the market for a quarterback next year though with a depth chart in 2019 that should include Ian Book, Avery Davis, and Phil Jurkovec.  Not to mention Brandon Wimbush would have a potential 5th year in 2019 as well.

Paul Tyson Highlights