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Tyler Saunders has found his college home and it's only a few buildings away from where he goes to high school.
The GMC Prep quarterback is staying in Milledgeville and signed with Georgia Military College last week. Saunders said he’s happy to finally make a college decision and is excited to stay so close to home.
“I wanted to stay close to my family. I am the oldest of five kids and I will be only about 20 minutes from home,” Saunders said. “So, I will be able to stay close and not have to move too far away.”
Saunders’ decision came a few weeks ago when Bulldogs’ head football coach Rob Manchester called him into his office for a meeting, and they discussed the possibility of Saunders staying at GMC.
“It was just a great experience getting to go down there and being able to speak to him and the rest of the coaching staff,” Saunders said. “That and being so close to my family (sealed the deal) for me.”
Saunders is familiar with the GMC program because he attends its prep school. He admitted he doesn’t know a lot of the current players but would see them around campus and after practice.
“I think there have been maybe one or two of my old teammates that went to play for the junior college, but we practice right next to each other every day,” Saunders said. “We get to see those guys and their players on campus. So, it’s not really uncommon to know a few guys down there.”
Saunders was a three-year starter at GMC Prep under former head coach Lee Coleman. He took the Bulldogs to three consecutive Class A state playoffs and even won the 2021 region championship.
In 2020, Saunders led the Bulldogs to the postseason for the first time in 18 years. As a junior in 2021, he passed for 1,400 yards and 15 touchdowns as GMC Prep won its first region title since 1960.
As a senior in 2022, the Bulldogs started out 0-4, but with his leadership, they rallied to make the postseason. They won four of the last six contests of the season to reach the Class A Division II playoffs.
“Obviously, (last season) didn’t go as we wanted but we learned a lot,” Saunders said. “It humbled us a little bit. As humans, we learned that life is not always fair, which sucks. It was unfortunate but it was a good experience. It taught us a lot. As a player, it helped me grow a lot to understand that it takes a lot of leadership to have a good team and we didn’t have a whole lot of that.
“We didn’t have many guys step up. Probably what hurt us the most is being accountable,” he added. “We were so content with going 10-0 (in 2021) that we didn’t have the same drive (in 2022) as we did the previous year. … It’s unfortunate but it’s going to help the returning guys next year.”
Saunders will graduate from GMC Prep in May and will then begin summer workouts with the junior college Bulldogs in June. Currently, he is playing on GMC Prep’s baseball team as a senior.
“Going to the playoffs three years in a row really brought some attention to the GMC (Prep) football program,” Saunders said.
“I am proud of what my teammates and all I have accomplished, but especially my senior class. I think we have one of the winningest records (in program history) as a senior class, so I am happy with what we have achieved. I think we’ve left it in a good spot to succeed in the future.”