Who is Tim Boyle? What you need to know about the Lions QB who grew up in Connecticut

This Thanksgiving is shaping up to be all the more memorable for Tim Boyle. With Jared Goff still hurting, the former Xavier High School and UConn product could be in line to make his second consecutive NFL start when the Detroit Lions host the Chicago Bears Thursday (12:30 p.m., Fox) before a national audience. The 27-year-old Boyle was 15-of-23 passing for 77 yards and two interceptions in a 13-10 loss to the Browns last Sunday. What do we know about Boyle? Won — and won a lot — in high school Boyle split time at quarterback as a junior and then was the full-time starter as a senior for powerhouse Xavier in 2012. He threw for nearly 2,500 yards and 24 touchdowns that season, helping the lead the Falcons to their third straight Class LL championship. The Connecticut High School Coaches’ Association Player of the Year and New Haven Register All-State selection appeared headed to Boston College, but he would flip his commitment to UConn just days before National Signing Day. Nondescript college career Boyle was underwhelming at UConn. He played three seasons with the Huskies from 2013-15, starting eight games. During that time, he completed less than 50% of his passes for 1,237 yards, with one touchdown and 13 interceptions. He then transferred to FCS school Eastern Kentucky in 2016, sitting out a season due to NCAA rules. In 2017, Boyle started all 11 games and led the Ohio Valley Conference in passing yards (2,134) and completion percentage (61.5). He also remained turnover prone, throwing 13 interceptions to 11 touchdowns. Stock grew at EKU pro day Boyle didn’t appear ticketed for the NFL, at least not early in his college career. But his impressive showing at EKU’s pro day helped elevate his stock leading up to the 2018 draft. His 35 1/2-inch vertical jump bested every quarterback at the NFL scouting combine. With representatives from nine different NFL teams looking on, he also posted the second-fastest 40-yard dash time (4.75) at his position. “I think I threw the ball well,” Boyle told the Register. “I missed some here and there. I’m not perfect but I definitely think my pro day helped my stock in a good way.” Boyle ended up going undrafted but signed with the Green Bay Packers. Understudy to an NFL MVP Boyle spent three seasons in Green Bay as the backup to three-time MVP Aaron Rodgers, playing mainly in mop-up duty. His NFL debut came in Week 7 in 2019, when he came in for a couple kneel downs against the Raiders. He had another cameo later that season against the 49ers and finished the game 3-of-4 for 15 yards. Boyle made a positive impression on Rodgers during that time. “He is very intelligent, he understands the offense, he knows the intricacies,” Rodgers told reporters prior to the 2020 season. “For him, it is about more experience, getting him more reps. He can do it all. He can throw it, he can move, he is really smart at the line of scrimmage, he is good with his checks and I think he is pretty settled in his third year.” New home in Detroit Boyle signed a one-year, $2.5 million contract with Detroit in March. The deal included a $1 million signing bonus and $1.5 million in guarantees. dbonjour@ctpost.com; @DougBonjour

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