Published May 23, 2022
Recruitment intensifying early for 2024 Florida tailback Jordan Lyle
Justin Guerriero  •  CUSportsReport
Editor
Twitter
@GuerrieroCU

Jordan Lyle is a name to know within the Class of 2024.

The St. Thomas Aquinas (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.) tailback has already seen his recruitment intensify considerably, despite the fact that college coaches cannot initiate any talks with him until June 15.

While he already has no shortage of options, it seems a safe bet to assume that more of the same is in store for the 6-foot-0, 190-pounder.

In the limited chances he has had to speak with coaches so far, his versatility is a talking point that comes up often.

“Most coaches, they’ll hear about me and they’ll come down to check me out," Lyle said. "They see potential. They see a speedy, power back that can make some moves in the open field. I feel like personally, I’ve got it all: speed, power, agility, and (coaches) see it, too.”

Last season, Lyle took 34 handoffs for 225 yards and two scores.

While not the juiciest stat line, Lyle nonetheless got his feet wet as a sophomore, helping St. Thomas Aquinas win a Florida Class 7A state title, the Raiders' third straight dating back to 2019.

Additionally, Lyle was not a full health for the entirety of the season.

Looking ahead to his upcoming junior campaign with the Raiders, Lyle is playing with a chip on his shoulder.

“I’m ready to ball out," he said. "Last season, I got hurt a little bit after spring and it kind of messed up my season, so this year I’m coming back better than ever for a redemption year. I see it as me trying to be great, trying to take my team as far as I can — a state championship and a national championship, that’s what we’re shooting for.”

info icon
Embed content not availableManage privacy settings

At the moment, Lyle holds offers from a healthy number of collegiate powerhouses.

Oregon offered him on May 17, while Georgia, Georgia Tech, Maryland, Pitt, Penn State, South Carolina and others have all done the same.

Phil McGeoghan offered Lyle this past Monday, while also issuing Lyle's St. Thomas Aquinas teammate, 2023 running back Gemari Sands, as well.

“(McGeoghan) came to our practice and was watching us," Lyle said. "He said he sees some potential in us and in me. He said I’m doing good out there, so he offered a couple of (Raiders players).

"He thinks we’re going to do some big things, so he’s going to try to keep in touch with us. As of right now, he can’t talk to me too much because of the 2024 (recruiting) rules, but I’m going to keep in touch with him. He’s a cool dude (and) I like him.”

While McGeoghan will look to make the Buffaloes a bigger blip on Lyle's radar moving forward, CU can expect a bit of an assist from incoming freshman tailback Anthony Hankerson, a 2022 graduate of St. Thomas Aquinas.

Hankerson served as the Raiders' go-to back last season, rushing for 1,057 yards and 22 scores during his senior season state title run.

Via Hankerson, Lyle has been able to gather some additional information about CU.

"‘Hank’ is a good dude," Lyle said. "He talked about Colorado a lot when he was at St. Thomas. I like him — that’s one of my guys. He only talked highly about Colorado, so I do take that into consideration that someone I’m close to talks so highly about a school. You can only trust it.”

info icon
Embed content not availableManage privacy settings