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Face-to-face with soph in-state lineman Tyler Miller

An in-state offensive lineman performed well at last summer’s Big Man Camp and followed that up with a stellar sophomore season, earning himself a Cyclone offer last month.

Greene County Class of 2020 prospect Tyler Miller, who has since added an offer from Cincinnati, spoke with CycloneReport.com in person at a basketball tournament over the weekend about the early start to his recruitment.

“I first started hearing from Iowa State during the Big Man Camp (last summer) and they noticed me there,” said Miller. “I talked to them prior to that because of (Greene County head) coach (Mitchell) Moore knowing them pretty well. One day, Coach (Jeff) Myers called Coach Moore over the phone and said they wanted to offer me a scholarship. It changed my world completely. I called my parents right away after that.

“They really like my size, frame, footwork and my potential as an offensive lineman. The coaches were impressed by my film. They saw that I know my footwork and that I’m strong and can handle my opponents pretty well.”

Miller’s high school head coach, Moore, was a former staffer at ISU under head coaches Matt Campbell and Paul Rhoads.

The 6-foot-8, 270-pound Miller said he loves the direction the program is headed in from his brief interactions with the coaching staff thus far.

“I love what they’ve got going over there,” he said. “Everything that Matt Campbell is doing is a wonderful thing. The additions they’re putting on to Iowa State are great. They told me about the new locker room.

“I love the new offensive line coach. Coach Myers is going to start doing a really good job. I’ve still got to talk to him a little bit. He’s a younger coach that has a lot of energy and isn’t afraid to do some things that other guys would.”

Growing up a fan of the state’s other Power-5 program, Miller said he’s been impressed with what ISU has shown him during the recruiting process.

“I grew up a Hawkeye,” he said. “It has been a change for me. I’ve noticed the difference in how the two teams practice. Noticing the practices, an Iowa practice compared to an Iowa State practice, just the energy level Iowa State has over Iowa…I really like that a lot. They’ve got a lot going on that they didn’t when I was little.”

The most recent trip to Ames for Miller came over the weekend, as he attended the team’s final big scrimmage leading up to Saturday’s intra-squad finale.

“I’ve been to a couple spring practices and have been down a few times to see Iowa State,” Miller said. “The intensity level they have is insane. Not many people would be going that hard in a spring practice, knowing they have a spring game coming up. I love how they attack the practice.”

Not surprisingly, Miller had his eye on his position group and one large offensive lineman in particular.

“They get after it,” he said. “Sean Foster is a great left tackle to watch and I talked to him briefly. I’m going to keep my eye on him. He’s a good person to watch to develop footwork and mentally. It’s good to watch older guys like that to see who I can become.”

Although he’s only a high school sophomore, Miller said he also got a brief look at what I-State offers educationally.

“They talked a little bit about academics,” he said. “I’m thinking about majoring in something related to Agriculture or Accounting. I did not have a campus visit. I talked to Coach (Derek) Hoodjer about the academics and how it’s appealing to me that they have the tutors. I also went on a facility tour of the weight room and locker room.”

Miller, who also has interest from Iowa and Notre Dame, said he plans to return to ISU over the summer for another Big Man Camp.

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