6-7 Iowa OL speaks of recent surge of offers, relationship with ASU coaches
You won’t guess by looking at him, but Tyler Maro doesn’t pay much attention to his diet. He’s an offensive lineman keen on always gaining weight, always getting stronger, but he’s 6-foot-7, which makes the extra pounds extend through his long frame.
He plays four sports -- football, basketball, baseball, and track -- which ensures that his teenage metabolism is always churning. Even still, at 6-foot-7, 257 pounds, you would think that he either had to consciously try to lose weight or chow down on peanut butter and jelly sandwiches to put on a few extra pounds for football season.
Nope.
“My mom is a great cook,” Maro said with a chuckle. “That’s it. I eat whatever she puts in front of me.”
He’s been doing that all his life. Back in fifth grade, when he towered over his classmates at 6-foot, and now, as a 6-foot-7 offensive lineman.
Maro, a three-star prospect from Davenport, Iowa, has collected 32 offers so far, including 11 from power-five programs. And Maro’s offers have come in swift fashion. Aside from a Louisville offer in November, Maro’s the vast majority of his power-five offers came in April.
“That was super exciting, especially that early in the process,” Maro said. “It took a while to process because I really wasn’t expecting it. To have that many great opportunities come to you all at once was kind of surreal.”
And the penultimate program of the bunch is Arizona State. Sun Devil graduate assistant Adam Breneman first contacted Maro over the phone a month ago and then, via a Zoom call in mid-May, handed him the offer. Since then, ASU offensive analyst Kevin Mawae has jumped in with Maro’s recruitment.
“I think we have a good base started and I’m looking forward to continuing to build that relationship,” Maro said of the Devils' coaches, adding his thoughts on ASU’s pro model. “I do look at it. I don't think it plays a huge factor because, obviously, the coaches wouldn’t be where they are if they weren’t qualified for the job.
“But, at the end of the day, you can go back and say, ‘He did this, too, maybe he can help me get better.’”
Because the vast majority of his offers have come within the last six weeks, Maro admitted that “they’re all recruiting me pretty evenly as of right now.” And while nearby schools like Nebraska, Iowa State and Kansas State, Maro is open to leaving the Midwest for college.
He knows there may be more advantageous programs elsewhere. Colleges see his size, length and wingspan and understand that’s all the stuff they can’t teach.
“(Coaches) like my ability to bend and move, fire off the ball and my overall athleticism,” Maro said. “I like to play fast and physical.
“Coaches say I have so much potential,” Maro said. “That only makes me want to work harder to fully reach that potential.”
Maro is hoping to commit around the end of his senior season, simply to ensure he takes official visits to his top schools. Unlike some recruits who have committed during the pandemic, Maro couldn’t imagine committing to the school he’ll spend the next four years at without visiting the campus. So he’s taken virtual tours and researched the schools that have shown interest.
It’s all in the effort to find the best fit, to locate a place that will check everything off his wish list.
“I need to know that I can get my degree, so I’m set for life once football is over,” Maro said of what he needs to see from a school. “I want to see the coaching style of the staff, the relationship I build with their guys. And then I just want to get on campus.”
Join us on our premium message board, the Devils’ Huddle, to discuss this article and other ASU football and recruiting topics. Not a member yet? Sign up today here and join your fellow Sun Devil fans!
