DeKalb grad, Dartmouth QB Derek Kyler making most of downtime

As the harsh reality of a cold New England winter sets in, former DeKalb quarterback Derek Kyler is taking advantage of Dartmouth’s quarter system by taking the winter off with some current and former teammates in the warm embrace of an Arizona winter.

“Four of my former and current teammates and I are staying in a house together in Phoenix so we don’t waste our senior year together,” Kyler said. “I have two of my former receivers with me, so I plan on throwing frequently with them as well as staying on the strength and conditioning program provided to us by our strength coach. Aside from that, we still have QB meetings once a week breaking down film and getting better together.”

The Ivy League did not play football this fall and is not likely to go in the spring. When the initial shock of not playing games wore off, Kyler did what he could to improve while the team was in a holding pattern, practicing all fall with COVID-19 protocols.

“As a quarterback, the great majority of the game is mental,” Kyler said. “What better way to prepare myself than to have an extra year to study film and the playbook even more in-depth than I have? I always knew what I needed to know, but to be able to dive as deep as I can has really helped me mentally as a quarterback. ... I had to understand we’re in unprecedented times, which was hard for everyone. It gives you so much more time to think, being in lockdown, and it’s helped me realize what is really important to me and what I can’t take for granted.”

So far, Kyler’s career at Dartmouth has been successful. In two seasons, he has thrown for 2,437 yards, 25 touchdowns and five interceptions while completing 68% of his passes.

Dartmouth offensive coordinator Kevin Daft said Kyler gives the Big Green offense a reliable, stable leader.

“[Kyler] is a very smart player,” Daft said. “He has a high football IQ. ... He has a great release, and the ball comes out very nice.”

Kyler is known for his modest and astute persona on and off the field around the Dartmouth football program.

Defensive coordinator and recruiting coach Dave Dobes also praised Kyler’s athleticism and his intellectual gifts. Kyler was a three-sport standout for the Barbs.

“[In high school], you could see that [Kyler] was more than just a football player,” Dobes said. “You could see that with his awareness of what was going on. He’s a very modest kid who is extremely aware of what is going on around him. When you first meet him, he isn’t going to blow you away with his personality, because he’s not like some of these guys who are so grandiose. He was just a very confident, sharp kid who had a lot of depth to him.”

Although the Ivy League did not play games this fall, the Big Green were able to practice during the fall while following all the COVID-19 protocols that had been put in place.

Kyler said the practice time will show up when the team starts playing games again.

“Our motto as a program is always to find that ‘edge’ over our opponents in everything we do, and I’m very proud of the way we were able to do that this fall,” Kyler said. “It proved to be extremely valuable for everyone since the returners hadn’t played football since the last season and everyone had to knock the rust off and freshen up on some things. It was most beneficial for our young guys coming in, as they usually don’t have a ton of time to learn the entire playbook and how we operate, since once we’re in season the focus is winning games.”