Vols 'close to the top of the list' for North Carolina offensive tackle
Former Wake Forest commit Triston Miller has visited several ACC schools, but Saturday’s trip to Tennessee was different.
The 3-star offensive tackle from Charlotte (N.C.) Country Day got his first viewing of the Vols, and Miller left Knoxville throughly impressed.
“I loved everything about the school,” Miller told VolQuest. “I expected it to be a different atmosphere from some of the other schools I had visited because it was Tennessee, a big-time SEC school. And after taking one visit I was impressed. I really enjoyed everything. Coach (Will) Friend seems like an amazing coach to play for. The stadium was huge.”
Miller picked up an offer from Tennessee in early January, and the 6-foot-5, 265-pound prospect decommitted from the Demon Deacons a few weeks later. Since then, Virginia, West Virginia, Arkansas, Kentucky, Georgia Tech and Duke have all come calling. Tyson Helton had served as Miller’s main recruiter for the Vols, but on Saturday, the 2019 prospect had the chance to really get some face-time with his potential future position coach. He broke down film with Friend and they discussed how Miller would be utilized at Tennessee.
“(Friend) said I’m really powerful and my footwork is really good. He likes my burst off the ball,” Miller said.
“We watched film of Georgia and Colorado State. He was showing us plays of smash-mouth football. I love to play like that. Watching film, the tackle gets a lot of 1-on-1 battles with the DE and I like that.”
Miller also spent a few minutes with head coach Jeremy Pruitt, tweeting out a picture of his interaction. With a desperate need for nasty, athletic lineman, Pruitt made sure Miller knew he was a wanted man in Knoxville.
“Coach (Pruitt) said he loved my playing style, my aggressiveness,” Miller recalled.
“When he watched my tape, he could tell that I was aggressive and could really move. He told me that Tennessee is on the up-rising and they’re going to be a powerhouse soon.”
Miller has upcoming visits to West Virginia, UVA, Arkansas and Kentucky, but Tennessee made a big move after Saturday’s trip. The offensive tackle will be back on Rocky Top again in a few weeks, too.
“Tennessee is definitely close to the top,” Miller said. “I really love Tennessee right now. They’re definitely close to the top of my list. I’m definitely coming back for a spring practice in a couple weeks.”