Jalen Wydermyer’s father grew up a fan of the Miami Hurricanes, so the three-star tight end was raised on stories about Miami’s heyday. Wydermyer watched enough 30 for 30 documentaries and YouTube clips to be at least somewhat intrigued when the Hurricanes offered him at the end of last year. Todd Hartley went all the way to Texas for Wydermyer, so the receiver knew Miami had to want him badly.
Hartley simply urged Wydermyer to do his research. The tight ends coach wanted the prospect to understand the Hurricanes’ history at the position.
It worked.
“Once Coach Hartley kind of opened Jalen’s eyes,” said John Snelson, Wydermyer’s coach at Dickinson, “that really, really piqued Jalen’s interest.