The Herget brothers never expected volleyball to take them this far.
What started as a casual shift from football has turned into a shared dream — now realized on the court at BYU, where the Connecticut natives suit up as teammates.
Tyler and Trevor Herget didn’t start playing volleyball until their eighth and ninth grade years. It started for fun, to see if volleyball was something they liked or not.
By their sophomore year, Tyler and Trevor both decided to follow their older brother's footsteps and pursue volleyball. Tyler and Trevor’s older brothers, Todd Jr. and Tim Herget, played at Ohio State and Penn State, respectively.
Growing up, football was just what the Herget brothers did. Their dad, Todd Sr., played linebacker for BYU in 1987, as well as from 1991-93. His first year after serving a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was Ty Detmer’s senior season after Detmer won the Heisman in 1990.
“We never knew what volleyball was when we were kids,” Tyler Herget said. “But I’d say we’re a volleyball family now. All my siblings play volleyball. We’re all very competitive in volleyball, and so whenever we hang around each other, we’re playing volleyball.”
Following a two-year mission in Argentina and the Provo Utah Mission due to the pandemic, Tyler had the opportunity to play a year with his older brother Tim at Penn State before deciding to enter the transfer portal after the coaching staff had an honest conversation with Tyler concerning his future at Penn State.
“I decided that I needed something new, and so I came to BYU and walked on,” Tyler said.
However, this transition brought no guarantee for the setter out of Penn State. “No promises. No guarantees. No nothing,” BYU coach Shawn Olmstead said regarding Tyler’s chances of making the squad at BYU.
Of his experience, Tyler said, “They kept me around for a bit, and then they kept me around for a bit longer, and then late in the fall, they told me I was on the team.”
Tyler said it was scary knowing his future was kind of up in the air, but competitors can't think about it much.
“You’re in it just like everyone else is in it," he said.
Much like his father, who decided to walk-on at BYU not only once, but twice, in 1987 and 1991, Tyler walked-on and worked his way into the starting lineup not long after making the team.
This is Trevor’s first year competing at the collegiate level. He comes in with plenty of accolades: three-time state volleyball champion, three-time All-State First team, three-time Connecticut State Player of the Year and a state champion in football.
Trevor has never lost a match in high school, compiling a 75-0 record at Darien High School in Connecticut. Trevor credits his coach, Laurie LaRusso, with instilling a point-by-point mindset to accomplish such a feat, a mindset he brings with him to BYU.
Trevor was recruited by BYU before his senior season of high school, along with Ohio State, Penn State and Loyola Chicago. “What really sold it (BYU) for me was the visit that I had here,” Trevor said. “I really loved what the coaches had for us, what the teammates brought. I really loved the culture of the team compared to the other schools I went to.”
Following a mission in Pocatello, Idaho, Trevor joined his brother, Tyler, to play on the same team for the first time in their careers. It's an experience they’re both enjoying.
“I’m really glad that I did [come to BYU] because I’m really loving it here,” Trevor said.
Now, as the Herget brothers begin their first season together at BYU, they’re not just continuing a family legacy — they’re building their own.