LA Valley JUCO RB Anthony Wyche gives Inside Scoop to North Texas Commitment

Written by Ryan Wright

Twitter: @HogManInLA

The college football recruiting world can move fast and furious from time to time and that is exactly what happened to freshman running back Anthony Wyche after the 2015 season.

Wyche headed from Prep Charter in Philadelphia to Los Angeles Valley junior college bringing with him a truck load of talent. The chiseled 5’9”, 190, pound all-purpose back hit the field hard helping LA Valley to a 9-2 overall record that included a 42-27 Golden State Bowl Game win over San Bernardino. After missing the first three games of the season, Wyche turned it on making his presence felt in his opener rushing 17 times for 107 yards with a touchdown. For the season he racked up 820 yards off 146 carries with 15 touchdowns on the ground leading the team. Showing his versatility, he added 10 receptions for 110 yards with another score.

A lot of different programs were showing interest leading many to wonder if Wyche would be back with the Monarchs next season or off to a next level school. On Sunday night Wyche made his announcement to the public and, come to find out, to the North Texas coaching staff that he would be playing ball with the Eagles in the fall of 2016 when he posted, “After talking to God, my family and I are blessed to say that I’ve committed to the University of North Texas.”

In a Recruiting News Guru exclusive interview, I sat down with Wyche after his commitment to get the inside scoop on how his commitment to North Texas came about following his unofficial visit to Denton the weekend of April 16.

Interview

Anthony, first off, congratulations on your commitment to North Texas.

“Thank you.”

You took an unofficial visit to see the Eagles the weekend of April 16. The trip obviously went well, but break it down for me. What all did you do on that trip?

“The visit went very well. I talked to head coach (Seth Littrell), the running backs coach (Tommy Perry), and the defensive coordinator (Mike Ekeler) once I got there. When I got to the offices there were 20 coaches there waiting for me. They were all excited to see me. They all knew my name, first and last. They were pumped up and I felt the love from each coach. That’s what you want from a school. They showed me around, it’s a nice town. There is a lot of stuff to do, there are a lot restaurants, and a lot of great people.”

When you spoke with the coaches, how are they going to utilize you within their offense?

“Their offense is similar to ours at Valley. They want to use me more out of the backfield and they want me to be a punt returner.”

There are a lot of variables that go into potential playing time with any program, but at North Texas are they expecting you to contribute right away?

“Yes. They made an emphasis on wanting me to come in and play right away. They know I am a competitor and that I will compete for the starting job. Coach Littrell told me he will play the best 11 guys. If I am one of the best 11, I will be on the field on Sept. 3 (at home vs. SMU).”

You made your unofficial visit and then came back home to LA to think about it. Why did you decide to go ahead and commit to North Texas over coming back to LA Valley for your sophomore season?

“Like I said, it was a good experience. I felt the love, I felt wanted. I fit into their system well. North Texas was too good of an opportunity to pass up. I did not want to risk anything by coming back. I’m ready to move on and move forward with my career.”

How did the commitment take place? Which coach did you call to make your commitment?

“When I was there on my last day I told them I wanted to commit but I wanted to talk to my family first. I talked to my family, peers, and my coaches. I posted it on Twitter. Coach Ekeler told me that his phone was blowing up about my commitment. He called me to confirm that I had committed. He told me to call Coach Littrell but it was late so I am calling him today.”

What was the reaction of the Coach Ekeler when he confirmed you were committed?

“He said his phone was going crazy. People on Twitter were posting stuff and others were calling him saying that I had committed. He said everyone was happy about my commitment. He asked me if I had committed and I said, “Yes sir, I did.”

How did you feel at that moment when you were about to commit and post the news on Twitter?

“I was excited. First of all, all my hard work had paid off. I never had experienced anything like this before (North Texas visit). I am excited to be around those kind of people in the future and that coaching staff.”

When do you report to North Texas?

“August 1 is the start of camp. I’ll report sometime before then.”

You’re not heading to Denton for summer school to start working out with the team early?

“No.”

Are you staying in LA or going back to Philly?

“I’m going to Philly to visit but I’ll come back here and work out with the team until August, until I go to Texas.”

Anthony, again, congrats on your commitment to North Texas and good luck next season.

“Thank you.”

Photo credit: Wyche family; Anthony Wyche at North Texas.

Photo credit: recruitingnewsguru.com; Anthony Wyche at LA Valley College.