He was a hero in upset win over Gamecocks. Now he ‘leads by example’ at alma mater

As a player at Ben Lippen High School, Tyler Renew stayed after most practices to get in extra running or drills.

That routine has carried on for him as a first-year assistant coach at his alma mater. Shortly after Tuesday’s two-and-half hour practice ended, Renew was running sprints with other Ben Lippen players.

“There is always going to be someone that is working,” Renew said. “If everyone was going to run five sprints, I wanted to be the one who ran six. That is what I am pushing to these guys. We started this, there was two guys and me. Today, we were up to eight guys. Every week you see a guy that wants to work and get a little bit better.”

Renew’s work ethic is just one of the reasons James Reynolds wanted him on his staff when he got the Ben Lippen job in March. Reynolds was an assistant at Ben Lippen when Renew was a player and saw him blossom at the end of his high school career.

Reynolds remembers being in the room when then The Citadel coach Kevin Higgins offered him a scholarship.

“That’s what he was about as a player and that is what he is like as a coach. He leads by example,” said Reynolds, whose team is 1-2 heading into Friday’s game at First Baptist. “We are proud of him with what he has done in his life, and we just wanted him around the kids. His credibility alone, and going all the way to the NFL, is awesome to have around.”

Renew signed with the Atlanta Falcons as a free agent coming out of The Citadel in 2017 and was one of the team’s final cuts. He hasn’t completely shut the door on giving the NFL another shot, but he enjoys what he is doing now.

Renew is a trainer at Orangetheory gym in Lexington during the day and heads to practice at night. He works with running backs and special teams.

“I thought I would enjoy it, but I didn’t know I would enjoy it as much as I have,” Renew said of coaching. “I see myself a future in this long term, whether it is here, in college or in a different state.”

Hammond coach Erik Kimrey, whose team played Ben Lippen last week, thinks Renew is a natural as a coach.

“Tyler has the intelligence, experience and heart to be a great head coach one day if he chooses. Great to have young men like him in our league impacting others,” Kimrey posted on his Twitter account Wednesday.

Renew passes on his football knowledge and life lessons he learned growing up. He didn’t have an easy childhood and that gave him a “chip on his shoulder” and drove his worth ethic during his playing career.

Renew’s mother died in a car accident when he was 7 years old and he was raised by his grandparents, Charles and Linda Renew. He credits his grandparents for instilling discipline and giving him the structure he needed in his life.

Renew’s grandparents enrolled him at Ben Lippen for high school, and he developed a love for football and also played basketball, soccer and track. After high school, he signed with The Citadel and went on to an All-American career with the Bulldogs.

“I could have been in jail or on the streets. They put me in a lifestyle that I know. They were amazing,” Renew said of his grandparents. “They disciplined me well, and that is what I needed. It was coming from a good point of view. They wanted the best for me as a man, as football player and student. I got my foundation set from them. If it wasn’t for them, I would be in a dark place.”

Renew left The Citadel as the school’s fifth all-time leading rusher and finished with 2,828 yards. One of his best college memories came against South Carolina when he rushed for 156 yards and the deciding touchdown as The Citadel knocked off the Gamecocks, 23-22, in 2015 at Williams-Brice Stadium, a place where he sold peanuts as a kid.

“It was a fun day,” Renew said of that game. “Everyone dreams of coming home and doing well in your hometown against the big team in the city. It put (The Citadel) on the map in a recruiting standpoint. This school in Charleston is a military school, but they can play some ball. It showed that we are relevant and we are here to play. It was exciting and helped propel me to get a shot in the NFL.”

This story was originally published September 5, 2018 at 3:46 PM.