KERRY HYDER

Position: Defensive end

Hyder

Height/weight: 6-3, 260

In high school: Hyder was a jack of all trades at Austin LBJ. He played linebacker and punted and also spent time at tight end and even wide receiver. He started on varsity for four years and topped 100 tackles in each of his last two. Hyder also was a standout basketball player. He received scholarship offers from Iowa State, Minnesota, Utah, Texas-El Paso, Cincinnati, New Mexico and Toledo.

At the moment: Because Hyder has a big frame and growth potential, he’s spent most of the fall at left defensive end, where anchoring against the run is important.

“I’ve been pleased with the progression he’s made,” defensive line coach Charlie Sadler said Thursday. “You can see it in these Thursday night scrimmages (for young players). I think his effort has gotten better. His technique is better.”

When Hyder signed with Tech back in February, defensive coordinator Ruffin McNeill said Hyder runs well enough that he might fit as the team’s walk-around “joker” pass rusher. But the joker usually lines up at linebacker depth, and Sadler said Hyder might outgrow that possibility if he hasn’t already.

Now he strikes Sadler as more of a front-four type. That might be the case even more so once Hyder spends an off-season under strength and conditioning coach Bennie Wylie.

“The thing about him is considering the fact he played basketball all the way through high school along with football, he never really had much opportunity to be in the weight room,” Sadler said. “But even early, he showed he has a lot of natural strength. With Bennie’s help, he could wind up being a really strong guy.”

Compiled by Don Williams