How Tylin Oden became Rutgers' quarterback of the future

On National Signing Day in early February, Rutgers University received a signed letter of intent from its quarterback of the future. But for Tennessee-native Tylin Oden, football began a long time ago, far away from the state of New Jersey.

“I started playing football at five years old back in Columbia, Tennessee,” said Oden, who attends Spring Hill High School located in Columbia. “We couldn't play tackle back then, we had to play flag football. My first year of tackle, I was about seven years old and I actually didn’t play quarterback. I played defensive line and on offense I played fullback, running back, receiver. I was just all over the field.”

Early on, Oden established himself as top player, but it wasn’t because of his ability to throw or run the football.

“My coaches always said I was special. But I don’t think they ever believed I would play quarterback,” Oden said. “They probably would have believed I would have been a defensive player. I was not really a finesse player. I did not really try to cover and stuff. I just hit. That was the only thing that was taught to me at that age and I was pretty good at it.”

Oden continued playing all over the field until the sixth grade when he switched from public to private school. It was there that he first started playing quarterback, but his two-year stint at Battleground Academy taught him more about education than football.

“I was always a smart kid, but I did not realize the importance of education until I left private school after my seventh grade year,” Oden said. “That kind of enlightened me on what it took to go to college and be successful.”

That experience pushed Oden to excel in the classroom, which led him to take interest in a field that is not too common among college quarterbacks.

“I am really good at math and science and stuff like that,” Oden said. “I had a whole bunch of coaches who told me about teammates they had that were engineering majors. As soon as they graduated from college, they are making $200,000 a year. It’s just something I want to do. I was thinking chemical engineering but I really want to go into material science. I am aiming to make my own clothing line.”

While Oden was busy hitting the books, the switch back to public school for the eighth grade year moved him back to wide receiver and defensive end.

It was not until early on in high school when Oden bid farewell to defense and became a full-time quarterback.

“Everybody was maturing and their bodies were getting stronger,” Oden explained. “I kind of just stayed the same, but I was getting taller. I wasn’t really big, I was just stretching. I could not really make the collisions I could make when I was younger, little nagging injuries started coming.”

The first two seasons of high school football went by for Oden without much fanfare from college coaches.

“I had shoulder problems my sophomore year. I used to tackle people and my shoulder would dislocate.” Oden said. “I wore a brace and finished the season. Then, I started playing basketball and did not wear my brace. One game, I simply contested a shot with my left hand and my shoulder dislocated. So I had to quit playing basketball that year. I went and had surgery. I knew being injured took some time away from me getting stronger and preparing for my junior season. When I got back training, I really worked my butt off and really got prepared in a short amount of time.”

That junior season marked Oden’s arrival on the football field.

“The first game, we were going back and forth with our cross-town rival and I broke away for a 40-yard touchdown,” he said. “I remember that feeling and how good it felt after all I had been through the last year.”

After Oden’s junior season had finished and his highlight tape was released, a long line of college coaches began contacting him.

“It was a bit hard to believe what was going on at the time. My dreams were just starting to reach the surface,” said Oden, who pulled in upwards of 20 scholarship offers from FBS programs. “It was overwhelming. People were blowing up my phone. Colleges that I watched on TV every Saturday were calling me, trying to get my information, offering me scholarships. I did not even know what was going on, honestly, nor did my mom. Things were just happening really, really fast. I was not sure if I was going to be a basketball or football player until after my junior season. After that, I realized that football was my calling.”

That finally led to a commitment to the University of Louisville, which later turned into a commitment to Rutgers University after Oden reassessed his situation and explored more options.

“It was surprising how things came together,” Oden said. “It definitely made me feel special and made me realize that God had a plan for me.”

Oden also credited his family with helping him get to where he is today.

“My uncle, Bernard Oden, helped me a lot. He taught me that I needed to be tough and fight back,” Oden said. “He played quarterback at the University of Memphis. My family has been athletes around this area for generations. My mom wanted us to always be around football and sports and stuff.”

Oden will arrive at Rutgers this June and looks to be the team’s quarterback of the future. Back in Tennessee, he will leave behind a legacy on the football field, but that is not what he will miss most when he moves into his new home in New Jersey.

Oden is the second eldest of three brothers and three sisters, four of whom currently live with him now.

“I knew that one do that I was going to have to leave the house and see the world and meet new people and go better myself for my future,” Oden said. "I was always willing to go into uncharted waters and experience new things. But the thing I will miss most is waking up and seeing my family every morning and knowing their okay. They will be what I miss the most.”