HILLSBORO, Ore.—Colt Lyerla has earned the nickname “Supahman” for his abilities, which are so varied that he leaves people wondering what he can’t do.
Lyerla has both size and talent. He excels at all the usual combine tasks, including the vertical leap, 40-yard dash and standing broad jump. He can bench 320 pounds.
Last season at Hillsboro High School, west of Portland, Ore., the 6-foot-5, 225-pound Lyerla led the Spartans to their first state championship since 1973.
Playing at both linebacker and running back, Lyerla averaged 17.1 points per game. He had 1,543 yards rushing and 26 touchdowns on the ground. He also had 843 receiving yards and 13 TD catches.
He got untold publicity when his “Hail Mary” 61-yard scoring catch against Glencoe High School made ESPN and later became a hit on YouTube, with more than 80,000 views.
When the season was over, he was named the Class 5A offensive player of the year by The Oregonian newspaper.
“He’s a real down-to-earth kid,” Hillsboro defensive tackle Joe Ashby said. “He doesn’t like to take all the credit. It was great to play with him, because he didn’t make you feel like he’s the star of the team.”
Lyerla, who has drawn comparisons to both Julius Peppers and Brian Urlacher, is among the top 10 linebackers in the 2011 recruiting class, but he has said he would be better suited at h-back or receiver.
He has had offers from at least 15 schools, including eight in the Pac-10 and both Oregon and Oregon State.
