SC recruit Mike Tyler close to making college choice. See which schools are at top

Mike Tyler is narrowing down his college choices and getting close to possibly making an announcement.

The Hammond senior tight end told The State he is down to three schools — Duke, LSU and West Virginia — with Duke and LSU leading the way. An announcement might be sometime next month possibly on Aug. 18, which is Tyler’s birthday.

“I love Duke, West Virginia and LSU,” Tyler said Monday after the Skyhawks’ first official practice for the upcoming season. “I feel like they all had great plans for me as far as me getting on the field early and getting involved in the offense.”

Tyler has taken official visits to Duke, LSU, N.C. State and West Virginia. He attended LSU’s Bayou Splash recruiting event this weekend. That was his third visit to LSU over the past month as the Tigers are building momentum in trying to land the tight end.

247Sports analysts’ crystal ball predictions have been logged in favor of Tyler picking the Tigers. LSU just offered Tyler on May 19. LSU has one tight end commit for the class in Louisiana native John David LaFleur.

The Tigers have the third-ranked class for 2025 according to ESPN and On3 and fourth by 247Sports.

“I love everything about that place,” Tyler said of LSU. “The stadium is humongous, great food, I just love it down there. It’s the SEC, you can’t beat that. It is the top conference right next to the NFL. I feel like I would be ready to play and the atmosphere is great.”

Duke and West Virginia have been on Tyler’s radar for a while, both offering him in October two days apart. The Blue Devils have one tight end commit in Bradley Gompers of Pittsburgh.

“The process has been overwhelming for sure,” Tyler said. “It is like what you see on YouTube and Netflix but you gotta take it in because you only get one chance.”

South Carolina was in the mix for Tyler early on in the process but things have cooled between the two sides although Tyler said he still hears from Gamecock coach Shane Beamer. USC has one tight end commitment in Preston Douglas and just offered Riverside’s Mikeal Skinner, a Cincinnati commit on Friday although Skinner could be considered a receiver.

Tyler, 6-foot-4, 240 pounds, also isn’t a traditional tight end as most of time is expected to be split out wide more as a receiver. 247Sports Composite ranks him a three-star prospect and 32nd-best tight end prospect in the country.

Last season, Tyler caught 33 passes for 548 yards and seven touchdowns, including the game-winning 32-yard grab in the SCISA 4A championship game. He finished with six catches for 64 yards in the game. It was Hammond’s seventh state championship in a row.

The Skyhawks open up the season Aug. 23 at home against Christ Church, who won the SC High School League Class A championship last year and is moving up to 3A this year.

Midlands’ top-ranked senior prospects

A look at where some of the top Columbia-area high school football seniors are in the 247Sports Composite rankings in South Carolina:

Onis Konanbanny, DB, Heathwood Hall — Uncommitted. Final schools are Florida State and Tennessee.

Will Wilson, QB, Richland Northeast — Committed to NC State

AJ Brand, QB, Irmo — Committed to Virginia Tech

Mike Tyler, TE, Hammond — Uncommitted. Final three schools are Duke, LSU and West Virginia

Elgin Sessions, DB, Dutch Fork — Committed to West Virginia

Josh Smith, DB, Dutch Fork — Committed to Coastal Carolina

Jo Jo Crim, DB, Camden — Uncommitted

Stephen Collier, WR/S — Committed to East Carolina