By Bill Seals
An Iowa State offensive line commit visited Ames last week for the first time since his late-November announcement and delved more into a trip that just so happened to include another heralded recruit in the 2020 class.
Greene County (Iowa) big man Tyler Miller traveled to ISU with Carroll three-star prospect Blaise Gunnerson, a defensive end that the coaching staff would love to add to its current 2020 class of four. Rivals.com considers Miller the top-ranked in-state player in the junior class, while Gunnerson checks in at five.
“He knows how great the program is, so it’s not anything I really need to share with him,” said Miller. “I told him these coaches are there for you, no matter what, before and after the program. What mattered the most was how much Coach Campbell was able to individually speak with him one-on-one.
“It was a great time with him. He’s one of my best friends and we were able to have a blast. He was able to look at the program and envision us being there together. The coaching staff at Iowa State is just next-level.”
Miller chose the Cyclones over Power-5 offers from Minnesota, Nebraska, Purdue and Virginia, while Gunnerson is currently evaluating major offers from ISU, Iowa, Kansas State, Minnesota and Nebraska.
But Miller’s unofficial visit last Thursday wasn’t just about getting Gunnerson in front of Campbell once again. The 6-foot-8, 290-pound offensive tackle watched how the Cyclones gear up for a typical spring workout.
“Probably the best part, what I liked the most, was the preparation before the actual practice,” Miller said. “They had the team meeting, the offensive meetings and then individual meetings. I was able to sit down during the O-line meeting before practice. I saw them go over some certain plays and pass protections they were going over according to blitzes and what they needed to do. That way during practice, they didn’t have any screw-ups and were able to go full-on, which was great. They had great intensity.”
Although returning offensive coordinator Tom Manning hadn’t played a huge role in Miller’s recruitment prior to leaving for the NFL’s Indianapolis Colts, the visit re-introduced Miller to the coach.
“(All of the coaches are) definitely fired up,” Miller said. “Coach Manning gets after them a lot and so does Coach (Jeff) Myers. They have the same intensity levels. Myers is able to coach the offensive line, but Manning being the full offensive guy can get after it, too.”
Miller said he will return to Ames for an overnight visit April 13-14.
An Iowa State offensive line commit visited Ames last week for the first time since his late-November announcement and delved more into a trip that just so happened to include another heralded recruit in the 2020 class.
Greene County (Iowa) big man Tyler Miller traveled to ISU with Carroll three-star prospect Blaise Gunnerson, a defensive end that the coaching staff would love to add to its current 2020 class of four. Rivals.com considers Miller the top-ranked in-state player in the junior class, while Gunnerson checks in at five.
“He knows how great the program is, so it’s not anything I really need to share with him,” said Miller. “I told him these coaches are there for you, no matter what, before and after the program. What mattered the most was how much Coach Campbell was able to individually speak with him one-on-one.
“It was a great time with him. He’s one of my best friends and we were able to have a blast. He was able to look at the program and envision us being there together. The coaching staff at Iowa State is just next-level.”
Miller chose the Cyclones over Power-5 offers from Minnesota, Nebraska, Purdue and Virginia, while Gunnerson is currently evaluating major offers from ISU, Iowa, Kansas State, Minnesota and Nebraska.
But Miller’s unofficial visit last Thursday wasn’t just about getting Gunnerson in front of Campbell once again. The 6-foot-8, 290-pound offensive tackle watched how the Cyclones gear up for a typical spring workout.
“Probably the best part, what I liked the most, was the preparation before the actual practice,” Miller said. “They had the team meeting, the offensive meetings and then individual meetings. I was able to sit down during the O-line meeting before practice. I saw them go over some certain plays and pass protections they were going over according to blitzes and what they needed to do. That way during practice, they didn’t have any screw-ups and were able to go full-on, which was great. They had great intensity.”
Although returning offensive coordinator Tom Manning hadn’t played a huge role in Miller’s recruitment prior to leaving for the NFL’s Indianapolis Colts, the visit re-introduced Miller to the coach.
“(All of the coaches are) definitely fired up,” Miller said. “Coach Manning gets after them a lot and so does Coach (Jeff) Myers. They have the same intensity levels. Myers is able to coach the offensive line, but Manning being the full offensive guy can get after it, too.”
Miller said he will return to Ames for an overnight visit April 13-14.
