Gridley High Alumnus Tyler Little Awarded Full Scholarship to BYU

GRIDLEY, CA (MPG) - For many high school athletes the dream is to play at the next level (college), with an end goal of playing at the professional level one day. Playing at the collegiate level is an opportunity of a lifetime that many high school athletes never experience. One small town alumnus of Gridley High School, Tyler Little, has been offered an opportunity of a lifetime with a full ride scholarship to play Division-I college football for Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. 

The last time Little played competitive football was in 8th grade for the Gridley Titans. In high school, Little was a standout basketball player who helped lead Gridley’s varsity team his senior year to the section championship game against Corning High School and deep into the State playoffs. Little finished his high school basketball career with 1,100 points. 

Solely focused on serving his mission out of high school, Little never applied to a single college or for any scholarships. He was determined to serve wherever he was called and return home in hopes of continuing his basketball career. After serving an 18-month mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Chile, Little returned to the United States to finish the remaining months of his two year mission in Houston, Texas. At the conclusion of his mission in November of 2020, Little returned to Gridley with the intention of playing basketball at Yuba College. 

When it was announced that Yuba College would not be having a basketball season, Little began a workout routine at Gridley High School, where he was reconnected with high school friend, Jace Villapania, who plays football at Butte College. Villapania suggested to Little that he should give football a try at Butte College and through a miracle (if you will) and a lot of hard work, Little was invited by Butte College head coach, Rob Snelling, to join the team. Coach Snelling and offensive coordinator, coach Jon Hays, were impressed by the 6’7” athlete’s abilities and reached out to BYU head coach, Aaron Roderick, and other colleges about Little.

Little was invited for an unofficial visit to BYU on June 1, 2021, where he and his family toured around the facilities to include the brand new locker room. During the visit, Little ran football drills, conducted strength and endurance testing which further impressed the BYU coaching staff. Weeks after returning home to Gridley, Little was offered the four year scholarship to play football at BYU. Little officially signed with BYU on Wednesday, June 23rd, surrounded by family, friends, and the Butte College football coaches who steered him toward an opportunity of a lifetime.