Stars Don't Matter: Joe Tryon Named Preseason 1st-Team All-American

Joe Tryon was named to Phil Steele's preseason first-team All-America team. Mike Martin retraces the edge defender's path to his latest honor.

It was slightly surprising when Phil Steele named Washington Huskies edge defender Joe Tryon as a preseason first-team All-American. The one-time Washington State-commit, Tryon was joined by defensive lineman Levi Onwuzurike and defensive back Elijah Molden who were named to Steele's second and third teams, respectively.

If Molden had been named to the first team and Tryon to the third team there wouldn't be much attention given to it. That Steele thinks so highly of the edge defender speaks volumes of former Washington head coach Chris Petersen's recruiting mantra: "Stars don't matter".

Coming out of Hazen High School in Renton, Washington, Tryon was known as a "grinder," meaning he put in a lot of hard work in the offseason.

This selection by Steele illustrates how well Petersen understood the player's mind as well as the body. He understood that, while some called Tryon a 3-star kid, the edge defender had the work ethic of someone rated much higher.  

On signing day in 2017, Petersen thought some of the rankings were comical.  

"I just laugh at some of the stars that some of these guys have when, like four months ago, they were, like, not even on anybody’s radar," Petersen said.

He may have had Tryon in mind when he said that.

In fact, the recruiting services may have given Petersen an assist in calling Tryon "a 3-star kid."  It put a rather large chip on the shoulder of the 2016 North Puget Sound League Defensive Lineman of the Year.

"Tryon plays like he has something to prove on every play," Kaila Olin, Husky Maven/Sports Illustrated's college football analyst, said.  

Where Tryon used to have a chip on his shoulder for being a 3-star, he now has the top billing that he has to live up to. 

"He has flashed late in the season the last two years," Olin noted. "The attention that this selection may give him could be the catalyst for getting a full season out of him."

Tryon was the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week for his two-sack performance in the 2019 Apple Cup.

The selection also says a lot about Chris Petersen's player evaluation and player development.

"Coming out of high school in 2017, one recruiting service had Tryon just ahead of junior college transfer punter Joel Whitford," Olin remembered.  

That year, Washington's recruiting class was headlined by Tryon's teammates Salvon Ahmed and Hunter Bryant, both undrafted free agents in 2020.

A side benefit of Steele putting a target on Tryon's chest may come in the way offenses prepare for Tryon and coach Jimmy Lake's more aggressive defense. The added focus on Tryon could take some the pressure off Washington's other edge defender, giving them more of a free run to quarterbacks.  

While Tryon used to have to prove that he wasn't just a 3-star kid, now he can show that he's worthy of being called a first-team All American.