Tyler Colquitt has been playing football so long at Pulaski Academy that he wonders, jokingly, if people are starting to question if he’ll ever leave the independent private school in west Little Rock.
“Other teams and coaches are like, ‘You’re back again,’ ” Colquitt said Wednesday afternoon. “People who come back from college, they’re like, ‘Man, it feels like you were supposed to graduate with us, or graduate last year.’ ”
For the record, Colquittis a senior this fall. But the standout senior linebacker is among the most seasoned players in school history, a rare four-year starter who is scheduled to make his 50th career start tonight at Mills.
Colquitt has started every game since he was a freshman, an extensive body of work that includes facing quarterback Kiehl Frazier, the USA Today National Offensive Player of the Year as a senior in 2010 at Shiloh Christian.
Frazier is now a junior at Auburn.
“It seems like time has flown by since I was a freshman,” said Colquitt, who guesses he’s worn about eight different styles of jerseys the last four seasons. “I feel like, overall, my career has been pretty good.”
That’s a gentle understatement.
Colquitt, a compact 5-10, 230 pounds, is one of the most decorated linebackers in Pulaski Academy history, logging 423 tackles, including 177 unassisted, in his career. The Bruins (7-0, 4-0 5A-Central) are ranked No. 2 in Class 5A and No. 9 overall.
Colquitt was the team’s leading tackler as a freshman, the 2010 Arkansas Democrat-Gazette Metro Sophomore of the Year when he helped Pulaski Academy finish 14-0 and capture the Class 4A state championship, All-Metro as a junior and a preseason All-Arkansas selection this fall.
“He’s been an impact player for that long,” Pulaski Academy Coach Kevin Kelley said. “Not just a player.”
Colquitt was so advanced physically, even as a 14-year-old freshman, that Kelley and defensive coordinator Todd Wood decided to play him immediately on the varsity, rather than on the junior high team.
Colquitt rewarded that decision by recording 155 tackles, including 85 unassisted, and helping the Bruins reach the Class 4A state championship game against Shiloh Christian.
“We knew he could move up and play, but Coach Wood, as a ninth-grader, let Tyler make the changes, make the calls on defense,” Kelley said. “You’re leery about moving a ninth-grader up anyway. Our defense is real elaborate and complicated, and I was real worried about it.But he’s just a quarterback.”
Colquitt said he was initially nervous competing against older players, but quickly shook his stage fright after “hitting drills” on his first day of spring practice.
“It’s funny because you wonder if all the seniors are going to be upset, or will they follow,” Kelley said. “But he won their respect immediately. It’s been that way ever since.”
Colquitt’s role has expanded the last two seasons, becoming a short-yardage power running back in Kelley’s potent Spread scheme.
Colquitt rushed 13 times for 146 yards and 2 touchdowns as a junior and has carried 13 times for 131 yards and 2 touchdowns this year. He rushed 4 times for a career-high 78 yards and 2 touchdowns in a 56-35victory over Class 7A West Memphis on Sept. 20.
Kelley calls Colquitt, who bench presses 315 pounds, athletic, with great hands, good hips and good moves.
“If this kid had played running back since he was in ninth grade, he’d be an All-State running back,” Kelley said.
“He’d be an All-State running back as a 10th-grader, 11th-grader, 12th-grader. He’s just so important to our defense that we don’t play him unless we have to.”
Kelley then pointed to a fourth-and-short situation in the second half against West Memphis. He said Colquitt requested to play offense and was adamant that he could secure the first down on a running play. Colquitt delivered much more.
Kelley said Colquitt shook one defender riding his back and another who went low, then made a cut and ran away from the defense en route to a 42-yard touchdown.
“That’s the play right there that I thought, ‘OK, this team is going to be pretty good because they’ve got this kind of kid that’s in the locker room and on the practice field and doing those kinds of things,’ ” Kelley said.
Kelley said he believes Colquitt’s ability to run the football may open the eyes of more college recruiters. Colquitt said he’s been offered a scholarship by Arkansas Tech, with Arkansas State and Memphis among the schools evaluating him as his high school career begins to wind down.
“I think he’s as good as we’ve seen in this conference in a long time,” Sylvan Hills Coach Jim Withrow said. “He looks the part, man. He looks like a big-time linebacker. He needs to graduate.”At a glance TYLER COLQUITT SCHOOL Pulaski Academy CLASS Senior POSITION Linebacker HT./WT. 5-10, 230 pounds NOTEWORTHY Started every game the last four seasons. ... Scheduled to make his 50th career start tonight at Mills. ... Team’s leading tackler as a freshman in 2010. ... Arkansas Democrat-Gazette Metro Sophomore of the Year in 2011 when he helped Pulaski Academy finish 14-0 and capture the Class 4A state championship. ... Class 5A Bruins are 43-6 the last four seasons. ... Has been offered a scholarship by Arkansas Tech.
Sports, Pages 19 on 10/25/2013