Hasty emerges as standout recruit
Tyler Hasty only has an offer from Colorado but if he continues to play like he did last weekend in the Mission Viejo Kickoff Classic then things could definitely change for the better.
Hasty was instrumental in leading Bellevue, Wash., past Westlake Village (Calif.) Oaks Christian, 31-21, in the season opener as he made numerous big hits at cornerback and played a strong, solid game at quarterback as well.
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The 6-foot, 180-pound prospect set the tone early when he nailed an Oaks Christian receiver, flipping him upside down in the air, and knocking the ball loose. Later, after a long reception, he ripped the ball away from the receiver after tracking him down in the open field.
Hasty, whose father James played in the NFL, plays with a lot of toughness and attitude, the same kind of blue-collar personality as the rest of his Bellevue team.
"We knew they liked to throw screens a lot and their first play was on the wide side so I knew all I had to do was go hard," Hasty said. "He didn't see me coming so I knew I could get a good hit on him.
"When he was running down the field and he saw the safety, he was trying to make a move on him but he didn't see me coming from the right so I was able to sneak in there and pull the ball out.
"I kind of like to play the game with a little fire and get my teammates fired up. In the heat of battle I get a little heated and I like to get in the other team's face to see if I can get them off guard."
Hasty plays the game with such finesse and ease, his father, James Hasty, said even though there might be some pressure to live up to his successes that his son never seems to show it.
From 1988 to 2001, Hasty played with the New York Jets, Kansas City Chiefs and Oakland Raiders but said he and his son rarely talk about such high expectations. Hasty said he was even surprised earlier in life that cornerback was the position Tyler chose to play.
"I feel like there is a little bit of pressure for him to play that cornerback spot," James Hasty said. "I kind of wish he didn't play it but there is a little bit of pressure to do that.
"We don't even talk about him being me. I was surprised as anybody when he was younger that he wanted to play corner. It kind of made me feel good inside. There is some kind of pressure he'll have to deal with but it looks like he's handling it fine."
As for recruiting, Hasty said he's going to wait until after his senior season to make any decisions. Colorado has offered and he's hearing from teams in the Pac-12 and in the South so more offers might be coming.
If he continues to play this well - Bellevue plays powerhouse Sammamish (Wash.) Skyline this weekend - then things will continue to look up for him.
"I hope people were watching and could see what we could do," Hasty said.
"I'm trying to just lay low and focus on the season right now. This was a really big game, had to just focus on this game and be prepared and maybe talk to my dad after the season is over and see what's going on."