Super 30: Vian's Rob Boyd is the big 'Cheese'

Twelve years later, the name has evolved to a simpler version and instead of hitting home runs, “Cheese” is busy drilling defensive linemen into the ground for the Vian High School football team.

And maybe all of those cheeseburgers have helped him along the way. Boyd is 6-foot-4 and 305 pounds, having turned into one of the state's most highly recruited offensive linemen, ranking No. 3 on The Oklahoman's Super 30 recruiting rankings.

Oklahoma and Oklahoma State pursued him, and national programs knew about him, too. A Southern Cal assistant flew in to see him practice in the spring.

But Boyd settled on Tulsa, enjoying the idea of being close to home.

“Tulsa is very much a family atmosphere,” he said. “They treated me like no other school did. I felt like I was a priority to them.”

Head coach Bill Blankenship and assistant Denver Johnson knew they were going against the BCS schools in pursuit of Boyd, which might have led to their surprised reaction when he verbally committed in March.

“They looked at me like they thought I was stupid,” Boyd said with a laugh. “They were like, ‘Are you sure?'

“But I knew that's where I wanted to be. They're awesome people, and I can't wait to go play for them.”

Family is important to Boyd as well, and being an hour from home played a part as well.