Vineland’s Powell headed to Marist
Vineland senior Tyrell Powell is such a versatile player that it was no surprise that he was being recruited by colleges as an athlete. This past season he began as a wide receiver and cornerback for Vineland, but due to injury, the Fighting Clan needed a quarterback. He stepped into that position in the early part of the season, and guided Vineland’s offense the rest of the way.
Powell’s versatility will come into play on the next level after he recently committed to play for New York FCS school Marist. He was recruited as an athlete, but the 6’1”, 165 pound Powell thinks he will be playing cornerback. As with most high school seniors who make their college choice, there was a sense of relief that the decision has now been made.
“The recruiting process went well,” Powell said. “Marist was the first school to reach out to me and when I took my visit, it was a great atmosphere and really felt like home.”
Powell is the third in his family who will be playing college football. His brother Tyrese played offensive line for Kean and while his other brother Tyree will be a senior linebacker at Rutgers after recording 53 tackles in eight games this past season for the Scarlet Knights.
“It feels good, being able to continue the tradition and play at the next level like my older brothers,” he said.
Powell was a two-year two-way starter for Vineland.
This year in eight games as a QB, he threw for 446 yards and two touchdowns. He showed his dual-threat ability by running for 441 yards and another five scores.
On defense he also excelled. Vineland had one of the more difficult schedules in South Jersey meaning Powell had to defend against some of the area’s top receivers.
“We played some tough receiving groups like Millville, [Washington] Township, Atlantic City, Eastside,” he said. “It was a great way to get experience against the caliber of players I faced, and it should really help me as I continue in college.”
Jose Guzman, who guided Vineland to a 5-7 record in his first year, an improvement of two wins over the previous season, says that coaching Powell was a highly gratifying experience.
“It was an absolute pleasure coaching Tyrell,” Guzman said. “He is a stand-up kid and somebody who checks all the boxes, great attitude, terrific athlete, absorbs the playbook, a real team player… you name it across the board.”
Not surprisingly, Guzman gave a ringing endorsement to the Marist coaching staff.
“I told their coaches they had no idea the type of player they are getting,” Guzman said. “He is a top athlete, a very smart kid, and I told the coaches he is the type of person you want to bring to your dinner table.”
Since Vineland didn’t have an above .500 record, while playing a difficult schedule, a player like Powell didn’t receive an overabundance of publicity. Yet, Marist did its homework and is receiving a player who had a lot of success in high school and is looking to continue it at the FCS level.
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Author: Marc Narducci
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