Junior QB Paul Tyson, great grandson of Bear Bryant, gets Alabama offer

— -- The name Paul Tyson might not sound familiar to Alabama fans, but his great grandfather's name will.

Tyson is the great grandson of legendary coach Bear Bryant and just received a scholarship offer from the Crimson Tide.

Tyson is the No. 205-ranked prospect in ESPN Junior 300 and now holds offers from two schools where his great grandfather coached -- Alabama and Kentucky.

"I was actually down at Alabama, watching their bowl practice, and Coach [Nick] Saban walked over and said I've earned it, I've had a really good year and he was deciding to offer me," Tyson said. "It definitely meant a lot to me. It was a big honor that it was coming from him personally."

Once Tyson and his father were by themselves and away from the coaches, the two gave each other a high five and talked about the significance.

Tyson is a 6-foot-4, 210-pound prospect out of Trussville, Alabama, and while he never met his great grandfather before Bryant died in 1983, Tyson is well aware of the chunk of Alabama history his great grandfather holds.

That doesn't scare him away, and he said he wouldn't see it as living in his shadow if he were to choose the Crimson Tide, but he also doesn't want to lean on it as a reason to choose the school.

"Coach Saban said regardless of my lineage, he is focusing on me as a player and nothing else," Tyson said. "It's definitely a big deal, but for me, I'm going to try not to focus on that and focus on my own process to find what's best for me."

This past season, Tyson threw for over 3,300 yards and 36 touchdowns with only four interceptions for his Hewitt-Trussville team.