89 Tyler Urban

Hometown: North Huntingdon, PA

Career: 2008-2011

Record: 37-15, Bowl Record: 2-2 including a BCS win

Tyler Urban came to West Virginia University as part of Coach Bill Stewart’s first recruiting class. Urban was lured to WVU with the promise of being an impact player at tight end, a position that was largely ignored by previous Coach Rodriguez. Tyler saw immediate playing time early in his freshman season, registering his first reception (25 yard touchdown) against Rutgers. Urban was a starter at tight end up until he suffered a nasty knee injury early in his junior campaign. While Urban would recover from the knee injury, he would not be a major factor in Coach Dana Holgorsen’s spread offense as the 2011 season progressed. Urban finished his mercurial tenure with WVU with career totals of 37 receptions, 429 yards, and 5 touchdowns.

Memorable Game: Probably the last Tyler Urban performance of note in terms of statistics came this past season against Norfolk State. The match-up with the Spartans was the first game in Coach Holgorsen era. Needless to say, the first half of the game was not the performance that Coach Holgorsen had hoped for. The Mountaineers trailed at half by a score of 12-10 as the Mountaineers struggled to find an offensive rhythm. While WVU would struggle all day to find a consistent running game, the passing game would explode in the second half as WVU piled on 45 second half points. Urban contributed to the Mountaineers’ rally by catching two passes for 20 yards and a touchdown, helping WVU to a 55-12 win to open the 2011 campaign.

Competition: The #89 has not been worn by many notable players at West Virginia. Urban is by far the most memorable of the lot. Others that have worn #89 include the likes of Bill Hillen, Tim Love, and Rodney Wilson.

Teaser: Tomorrow’s pick at #88 is a notable WR that finished 16^th on the WVU all-time receiving list. While that may not seem impressive, it is more impressive when considering the player only played two seasons at WVU. If he had played four years at West Virginia, no other receiver could hold a candle to his legacy. Let’s face it, we all hold a special place in our heart for our 16^th.