North Plainfield High School junior two-way lineman Tyson Chandler will be drawing
the attention of many colleges soon with his NFL-esque 6-foot-5 325 pound build.
Right now, the only offer that Chandler holds is from Rutgers. He was able
to go to the Scarlet Knights' Junior Day and was impressed by the first college
campus that he's ever been to.
"I liked how nice the place was," Chandler said. "I've never
been to a college before. They have a nice weight room and I liked how you could
work on your 40 in there when it's cold outside."
While on the campus, Chandler had the chance to talk to Head Coach Greg Schiano
and they were able to discuss how academics are important if he wants to play
football at the collegiate level.
"I spoke to coach and he seemed like a real laid back guy," Chandler
said. "We spoke about my grades because I was struggling with math and
it made me ineligible. But I'm doing better and I'll be ready to go next year."
Chandler was able to see the Knights play live a few times this year and he
said this is a program that is going in the right direction.
"I think they are on the rise," he said. "I went to most of
their home games and I like them a lot."
The big lineman picked up multiple awards for his performance on the field
such as First Team All-Conference, All-County, All-State Group Two and All-Area.
"I felt (my season) went well," he said. "I didn't really start
thinking about my (performance) until I got offered."