PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER: He's reaping the rewards of hard work

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by Marc Narcucci, Staff Writer

Tyriq DeShields assessed himself after his first two years in high school and came up with a simple analysis: He could be doing more.

Now a senior, DeShields wasn't getting poor grades, or slipping on the football field. He just felt he had another gear that could be kicked in, both academically and athletically.

This realization and the maturity to step up the pace was rewarded Wednesday when DeShields, a wide receiver for Woodrow Wilson, accepted a football scholarship to Bryant University, a Football Championship Subdivision (formerly I-AA) school in Smithfield, R.I.

"A lot of hard work comes with this, and honestly, maybe some of that hard work wasn't put in in earlier years," DeShields said. "Freshman and sophomore year, I didn't know the ropes and I started out rough, but as the college process heated up, I stepped it up in the field and the classroom."

DeShields has always been a good student, but he thought there was another level to reach. The same happened on the football field.

He attends Camden Academy Charter, which doesn't field a football team, which is why he competes for Wilson.

The 6-foot-1, 180-pound DeShields caught 11 passes last season for 269 yards and three touchdowns, not the most imposing of statistics. But the Bryant coaches looked beyond the stat sheet. Bryant coach Marty Fine said three things about DeShields really stood out.

"First, we love his character, and he is a wonderful young fellow who is committed to the right things, faith, family, academics, and his mom," Fine said by telephone. "We loved his academics because he is a very good student, and we love his work ethic in football."

That's a lot to like, and of course, the coaches also feel that DeShields can become a top receiver.

"He has good quickness, big hands. He fights for the ball well and seems to have a knack for making people miss," Fine said.

Bryant was the only school to offer DeShields a scholarship.

DeShields was a three-year starter for Wilson and, like most experienced high school players, had grand visions when it came to college.

He remembers the excitement he felt after receiving recruiting form letters from some of the major-college programs. Then, as the process went on, DeShields realized there was a difference between form letters and actual contact from schools.

"When I realized I wasn't what a lot of schools were looking for, I was disappointed until I started being recruited by Bryant," he said.

Bryant assistant coach Keith Cherney is from Central Jersey, so he knows the Garden State has produced many hidden gems.

Wilson's Chris Crowley, who does as much to help his players in recruiting as any coach in South Jersey, tells all his players that it's not the number of schools that recruit you that counts.

"Tyriq was on the radar of other schools, but all you need to do is find one school that likes you," Crowley said. "This has worked out so well, and I think he will be a great fit for Bryant."

DeShields doesn't take a scholarship for granted.

"It's pretty exciting to know I will go away and have my education taken care of for doing something I love," he said. "I have no other way to put it."

No other way is needed for somebody who is as grateful for the opportunity as his new school is to recruit someone with DeShields' talent and character.

Contact staff writer Marc Narducci at 856-779-3225 or mnarducci@phillynews.com.