Tulsa grabs another in-state commitment
Tulsa football picked up yet another in-state commitment in the 2014 class when Bixby (Okla.) offensive lineman Chandler Miller made his college choice on Monday night. TU beat out five other schools for the 6-foot-2, 285-pounder.
"I just felt that it was the right fit for me," he said of his commitment to TU. "The football tradition and the academics are incredible. I also think that Coach (Denver) Johnson will be a great mentor and coach for me.
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"The schools that were recruiting me the hardest besides TU were Memphis, Oklahoma State, Harvard and Stanford. I held offers from Tulsa, Memphis, Harvard, Louisiana Monroe, New Mexico and Northern Colorado."
Living just 20 minutes away from the Tulsa campus provided Miller with many opportunities to get up close and personal with the Golden Hurricane program.
"I fell in love with campus when I toured it on my junior day visit," he explained. "All the buildings there are brand new, and it has a very good feel to it. The football facilities there are first class. They have all of the top of the line equipment and their new field is very impressive."
One of the main factors in his decision to commit to Tulsa was a quality education.
"It was a big part of my choice," he described. "Football can only last so long in my life, and I need a good education to fall back on when my playing days are over."
The Hurricane coaches offered Miller very early in the recruiting cycle after seeing him dominate on the field. Miller also holds several strength records in the Spartans off-season program.
"I feel my strength, physicality, athleticism, and football IQ all help me excel on the football field," he said. "The biggest thing is my determination to win against my opponent every single play.
Miller is also still working to improve his game.
"One area I'm working right now is just keeping my head out of pass protection," he added.
Bixby finished 4-6 last season and just 2-5 in district play, but Miller is determined to improve that during his senior year.
"One of my personal goals is to be the most dominant lineman in the state," he said. "A team goal for us is to win a state championship. We have a special team with a lot of returning starters at pretty much every position."
Tulsa's 2014 recruiting class started off slowly, but has picked up steam as of late. Miller is the Hurricane's fourth commitment in eight days and gives TU a total of five so far. He is also Tulsa's third in-state pledge, joining McLain receiver Nigel Carter and Central running back D'Angelo Brewer.
TU's first commitment, quarterback Jabe Burgess of Greenwood (Ark.), came on May 2, and Arlington (Texas) Oakridge receiver Brodrick Umblance committed to Tulsa a day after receiving an offer at the Hurricane's June 1 camp.
It was a busy recruiting day overall at TU on Monday, as the Hurricane basketball team filled its 2013 scholarship allotment with a commitment from Arizona power forward TK Edogi. The full story on his pledge to Tulsa can be found here.