Aug. 9, 2026 4:15 AM PT

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When Tim Tanner Jr. talks, people listen. When he says he’s going to do something, believe him.

As a junior last season, the 6-foot-1 Sylmar High quarterback in his rookie passed for 2,343 yards and 31 touchdowns and ran for 661 yards and nine touchdowns. If you like quarterbacks who improvise, Tanner is your guy. Then, in basketball, after breaking his collarbone, he returned to play in 16 games (Sylmar went 15-1 with him in the lineup) to average 20 points and help the Spartans reach the Division V state championship game.

This season, he intends to be busier than ever with football, basketball and he hopes a return to baseball, the sport he played since he was 4 until high school. He’s a pitcher and plans to join the team but baseball coach Ray Rivera has never seen him pitch.

“He told me get through football, get through basketball, then we’ll talk,” Tanner said.

The maturity Tanner has achieved in recent years through dealing with adversity has enabled him to be selected a captain for the football team, so he knows he has to keep his composure and show others how to respond in a time of need. He’s growing up after once being academically ineligible.

He has so much sports equipment in his room at home that he could hold his own backyard games. “Footballs everywhere, cleats everywhere, basketballs, jerseys,” he said.

He’s going to need lots of skills in trying to balance his sports commitments with academics. But the coaches know they have someone passionate about succeeding.