Underrated, overlooked Paulsboro grad Bhayshul Tuten ready to make mark at Virginia Tech

It was a routine swing pass.

Bhayshul Tuten made it a jaw-dropper.

The Virginia Tech football program was scrimmaging this past spring when Tuten, the North Carolina A&T transfer and 2021 Paulsboro High School graduate, first caught running back coach Elijah Brooks’ eye.

Tuten brought in the quick flip, bounced off a cornerback’s tackle, shook off another defender and raced 80 yards to pay dirt.

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“I was in awe,” Brooks said.

He was even more shocked to learn Tuten didn’t have a single FBS offer coming out of Paulsboro.

“I think we make mistakes on this level, but for him not to have one opportunity is a little surprising,” Brooks said. “He’s really talented.”

Tuten always believed it. He was an All-South Jersey First Team honoree his senior season with Big Red, rushing for 1,282 yards with a South Jersey-best 24 total touchdowns as he powered his squad to its first undefeated finish since 2002.

Yet, because he played at a small school in the heart of the COVID pandemic, Tuten flew under the collegiate radar.

“Being overlooked only makes you work harder, play smarter and do more,” Tuten said. “I thought I had to bring that dog out even more to show people that I was legit.”

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Tuten did that at North Carolina A&T last year, where he was a finalist for the Walter Payton Award, the Football Championship Subdivision Offensive Player of the Year. He ran for 1,363 yards and 13 touchdowns, set school and conference records for most consecutive 100-yard rushing performances in a season (10), made 31 receptions or 342 yards and 4 scores and garnered Third Team FCS All-American honors.

That made the country’s best programs finally take notice.

Tuten fielded offers from a variety of Power 5 programs before settling on the Hokies in January.

Now, he’s ready to showcase his talents on TV’s across the nation.

“It’s kind of a confidence boost for me,” he said. “Coming from a small town and now I’m on the big screen, ACC Network.”

But Tuten still trains like the “underrated, overlooked,” back he was at Paulsboro.

“It only made me put my head down and work harder,” he said of the lack of interest in high school. “… I felt I had the talent to be the best, being overlooked I had to look back at myself. Am I working hard enough? I had that conversation with myself and I came to the conclusion to bump it up a notch and work even harder.”

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Tuten knows what it takes to succeed: His cousins were two of the greatest players in South Jersey history – Paulsboro legend Kevin Harvey and former Pittsburgh Steeler Isaac Redman.

“It was definitely motivation because they were both coaches for me, Isaac in midgets and Harvey in high school (as an assistant),” Tuten said. “Having them two and the experience and knowledge they know helped me grow my game on a mental route.”

Harvey, now Paulsboro’s head coach, knew Tuten had the chops to succeed long before he started training him.

“I went to see him go play in midgets, he was a man amongst boys,” Harvey said. “… He had a want in him. He wanted to do it. You see somebody that got ‘it,’ that ‘it’ factor, you ain’t got to motivate him. He already motivated.”

Tuten has more than “it” though. Brooks shined a spotlight on his “contact balance.”

“He’s able to limit his surface area on contact and he’s able to maneuver in and out of tackles better than most,” Brooks explained. “That’s something that you can’t really teach. I think a lot of it is really instinctive. He has an uncanny ability to have a lot of yards after contact.”

Tuten’s expected to showcase that this fall in a crowded running back room that also features Malachi Thomas, Chance Black and Bryce Duke. Virginia Tech opens its season Saturday against Old Dominion at 8 p.m.

Harvey is certain Tuten’s up to the challenge.

“The sky is the limit with him,” Harvey said. “When you got a talent like him and do it all, no matter where you put him at, he’s going to perform. He’s going to open your eyes up.”

Josh Friedman has produced award-winning South Jersey sports coverage for the Courier Post, The Daily Journal and the Burlington County Times for more than a decade. If you have or know of an interesting story to tell, reach out on Twitter at @JFriedman57 or via email at jfriedman2@gannettnj.com. You can also contact him at 856-486-2431. Help support local journalism with a subscription.

This article originally appeared on Cherry Hill Courier-Post: Paulsboro grad Bhayshul Tuten ready to star for Virginia Tech football