STONY BROOK, N.Y. — Thomas Dutton had an instant connection with Caleb Haynes when the Stony Brook football assistant coach welcomed Dutton at the airport during an official visit.

In fact, it's likely the two had played pickup basketball against each other in a recreation center in Columbia, Mo., multiple times a few years earlier.

Haynes played and then coached football at Central Methodist University in Fayette, Mo. — roughly 20 minutes from Dutton's home in Columbia.

"We knew the same guys," said Dutton, a 6-foot-6, 250-pound redshirt sophomore tight end. "We definitely were there at the same time. That blew me away. It was cool to know he was from the area. It made me more comfortable."

Said Haynes: "I remember joking with him saying, 'I think we could have won a bunch of pickup games if we were teamed together.'"

Dutton, who had entered the transfer portal after redshirting as a freshman at the Air Force Academy, also was attracted to Stony Brook because he was intrigued by living in the Northeast, he liked the university's academic reputation, and because incumbent tight end Zachary Lucas, who started 11 games in 2019, was poised to graduate from the program after last season.

Dutton had been to New York once during high school, for a Nike Elite Youth Basketball League tournament in Brooklyn, but his family nearly exclusively is anchored on the West Coast. His parents went to high school and met in Alaska. His grandmother lives in California, while other family members reside in Washington state. Dutton, himself, was born in Utah before moving to Missouri at a young age.

"It was a new place to explore," Dutton said about Long Island.

Dutton appeared in 10 games in 2019, during his first season with the Seawolves. His lone reception came against Richmond on Nov. 2.

With Lucas' departure, Dutton's role at tight end should markedly increase when the delayed football season arrives in the spring.

After graduating from Hickman High School in Columbia in 2017, Dutton spent one year at the U.S. Air Force Academy Preparatory School, then one year as a cadet at the Air Force Academy. He ultimately decided the military lifestyle did not suit him, but that does not diminish his affinity for the relationships he formed during his time as a cadet.

"For me, it was a way to better myself and also help people," Dutton said. "My dad is a police officer, and he is really big on service. That's always been big in my life. That's one of the reasons I went there. It just wasn't for me, but it still was a great experience. I met people that I'm probably going to be friends with forever. People liked me there, too. It just wasn't my thing."

Dutton was an accomplished basketball player in high school. He thoroughly enjoyed the sport too, especially because that team had more success than his high school football team. He even attracted interest from Ivy League schools to play basketball after attending the tournament in Brooklyn. However, Dutton made it clear to suitors that football was his college athletic direction.

"Football was my first love," Dutton said. "It just came more naturally."

Dutton's father actually served as a police officer in Columbia assigned to his high school, in a role known as a school resource officer. It wasn't entirely bad having his father in the building throughout his high school years.

"He had an office and snacks and stuff," Dutton said. "When I needed to put on weight, it was a big help."

As for the Missouri connection with Haynes, the two still marvels at the odds.

"I remember watching his film and thinking, 'Man this kid is big and athletic,' which really intrigued us," Haynes said. "Then I found out he was from Columbia, which I thought was very cool because I lived in Columbia for about three years when I coached at Central Methodist. It was very unique to have someone from my neck of the woods, because we typically don't recruit the Midwest here at Stony Brook.

"When I went to pick Dutton up from the airport, my first thought was, 'Dang this is a huge man.' It was one thing to see it on film, but he looked even bigger in person. I stand about 6-foot tall, and Dutton towered over me. On his visit we had a bunch of good conversations about our Missouri connections and multiple people we both knew. He was very easy to talk to and had a great personality."

Said Dutton: "He's from Higginsville, a little farther away, like an hour. He's really out in the middle of nowhere. He's out in the country. But he went to CMU. That's a school that's like 20 minutes from where I live. He coached there afterward. So he moved to Columbia. We played basketball at the same rec center. When I was growing up, he would be there playing. It's crazy."