The Jets have drafted Miami edge Tyler Baron with pick No. 176, the final selection in Round 5.
Baron (6-5, 258) was a one-year starter for the Hurricanes and led the team with 5.5 sacks and 11 tackles for loss. He began his college career at Tennessee and totaled 13.5 sacks, 101 tackles, 27 tackles for loss and 1 forced fumble in four seasons with the Volunteers.
Baron grew up in Nashville, TN, and is the youngest of three boys. He started playing football at 5 years old. His father, Patrick Abernathy, played at Tennessee State where he was a teammate with NFL Hall of Fame DE Richard Dent. Abernathy, who coached All-Pro CB Jalen Ramsey at Brentwood Academy, took a job at Tennessee as the football team’s director of player development before he resigned after the 2021 season.
Baron started his prep career at Ensworth High School where he played varsity as a freshman. After playing DE and TE as a sophomore, he voluntarily offered to move to left tackle during his junior season to boost the position. He then transferred to Knoxville Catholic High School to be closer to his father.
He had scholarship offers from top collegiate programs including Alabama, Florida State, LSU, Ole Miss and Ohio State but elected to commit to Tennessee. After four years in Knoxville, Baron entered the transfer portal and committed to Ole Miss before he flipped to Louisville. He then reentered the portal a few months later and chose Miami over Ole Miss.
“For me, it was just a lot of growth,” Baron said of the transfer. “I grew a lot as a person in terms of becoming more individual and focused on what it took to be me. I’m just thankful to be here.”
Baron’s older brother, Woody, played defensive line at Virginia Tech from 2013-16 and signed with the Cowboys as an undrafted free agent in 2017. He’s played in the CFL for the last seven seasons.
Baron was the second Hurricanes player to be selected by the Jets in the 2025 NFL Draft — LB Kiko Mauigoa was selected in Round 5 with the selection before Baron. Mauigoa and Barron are first UM players taken by Jets since TE Chris Herndon (2018, Round 4). Some other notable Miami players to be drafted by the Green & White include S Burgess Owens (1973, 13th overall), WR Santana Moss (2001, 16th overall) and LB Jonathan Vilma (2004, 12th overall). Vilma and Darrell McClover (2004, 7th round) are last Miami LBs taken by Jets until this draft.