DEERFIELD BEACH – After a long recruiting process, Deerfield Beach cornerback Tyler Gaskin joked that he did not make his final college decision until 5:59 P.M., just a minute before he officially made his commitment.

On Monday, July 27, Gaskin ended his recruitment by choosing Navy on a post to his Twitter account.

“Just the brotherhood of how they showed love throughout the whole process,” Gaskin said about Navy following his commitment. “And how the coaches [were] honest and straight up. And it’s just the opportunity to better myself.”

Unlike other collegiate programs, Navy offers a different challenge following college. Students at Navy and other service academies are required to partake in five years of active duty in the United States Military.

For Gaskin, the Navy allowed for a Plan B to the NFL, which is Gaskin’s Plan A.

“This process, everyone has helped me – family members, friends. So, it would be kind of selfish of me to just think about myself. At this point in time, this is a business decision to be able to provide for my family,” Gaskin said. “Navy provides a Plan B that’s guaranteed. The NFL is Plan A, but if that doesn’t work, I have a Plan B to provide for my family.”

On the field, Navy has been on the rise as a Group of 5 program. Over the past five years, Navy has made four bowl games, winning three.

And in 2019, Navy defeated Army in the annual Army-Navy game.

Overall, the decision to commit to Navy came down to the love from head coach Ken Niumatalolo and the rest of the coaching staff.

“My family was one hundred percent supportive of everything I did and the choice that I made to go to Navy,” Gaskin said. “Ultimately, it was just down to the head coach and my positional coach, who showed love throughout the whole process.”

Gaskin held a total of 23 offers, including offers to Air Force, Army, Indiana and Utah State, before choosing to shut down his recruitment before his senior season.

“As far as me locking something in, you know, bettering myself to get to the next level because we don’t know if we’re really going to have a season,” Gaskin said about shutting his recruitment down early. “I don’t want to wait to the last second to maybe get that so-called bigger school or a bigger name. I felt like it was a great opportunity for me to take it.”

Before transferring to Deerfield Beach in June, Tyler Gaskin was the definition of consistent at American Heritage (Delray Beach).

In his sophomore and junior seasons, Gaskin allowed no touchdowns to opposing receivers.
And in 2019, Gaskin finished with 20 tackles, nine pass breakups and three interceptions.

Gaskin intends to graduate in December at Deerfield Beach.