It’s an early goodbye for Tyler Harms.
The standout quarterback for Durango High School over the past three years is graduating from Durango early so he can be at Colorado Mesa when the Mavericks start spring ball.
Harms said it wasn’t an easy decision to graduate early but he’s content knowing he was able to finish out the basketball season and he got to do all the senior events.
“I'm excited to get up there to meet all the players early on, get close to them and build relationships before the season starts,” Harms said. “Spring ball is where pretty much everyone gets reps. So no matter what position they come in on, they’re looking to improve. Whereas once you get to the season, it's strictly the ones (starters).”
Harms chose Colorado Mesa in part because of its proximity to Durango. His parents can come to most of his games and it’s not too far if he needs to come home. Harms loves the facilities and coaches, especially the communication and the rapport he built with them.
To prepare for Division II college football, Harms has been in the weight room so he feels he can hang with the other players in the weight room at Colorado Mesa. Harms has been lifting heavy so he can be explosive and deliver the ball on time with the advanced speed of the college game.
“I need to be able to stay active and be prepared for everything,” Harms said. “There's going to be a lot faster people coming up to me in the pocket and I just need to be ready to do anything at every moment.”
Harms is looking forward to learning from the other quarterbacks at Colorado Mesa after Harms finished this past season for the Demons with 2,198 passing yards, 23 passing touchdowns and four interceptions. He also had 594 rushing yards and six rushing touchdowns.
After leading the Demons to a 9-2 record this past season, one game sticks out to Harms.
“My main memory will probably be the Mead game when we were down quite a bit and came back in the second half,” Harms said. “It’s probably my favorite game I ever had in high school and could be into college too. It was definitely the most fun game I ever had, the fans were into it.”
The future Maverick also played basketball for the Demons this past season. Harms said playing basketball has helped with his footwork and staying in shape for football.
Harms is looking to major in business finance at Colorado Mesa. He likes the idea of having a business background and is interested in a future career as a financial adviser.
bkelly@durangoherald.com
