Thomas Austin – Page 13 – Syndication Server

Big in-state OL building bond with Clemson’s new O-line coach

Clemson’s newly minted offensive line coach is building a solid relationship with this standout in-state prospect. Rock Hill (S.C.) Northwestern 2023 offensive tackle Jordan Knox has gotten to know Thomas Austin pretty well over time and feels …

Clemson’s newly minted offensive line coach is building a solid relationship with this standout in-state prospect.

Rock Hill (S.C.) Northwestern 2023 offensive tackle Jordan Knox has gotten to know Thomas Austin pretty well over time and feels Austin will do well as the replacement for longtime Tigers offensive line coach Robbie Caldwell.

“He’s a real cool guy,” Knox said to The Clemson Insider. “I feel like he’s real laid-back. He’s not too stressed about everything, and he’s just cool. He’s honest, and I feel like he’s going to do a great job as O-line coach. I think he fits the role well and he’ll be a good replacement for Coach Caldwell. So, I think it’s going to work out really well for Clemson.”

Knox keeps in periodic contact with Austin and has been on Austin’s radar for quite some time. They spoke again recently after Austin was promoted from offensive analyst to O-line coach, with Caldwell transitioning into an off-field role with the program as a director of high school relations.

“I talked to Coach Austin a few days ago about the promotion he got and stuff like that,” Knox said, “and he was wishing me happy holidays and stuff like that.”

A 6-foot-4, 300-pound junior, Knox holds offers from South Florida, Charlotte and Eastern Michigan, while he has garnered interest from schools such as Wake Forest, Virginia Tech, South Carolina, Vanderbilt, Cincinnati, Coastal Carolina and Appalachian State, along with Clemson.

When Knox was at Clemson as an unofficial visitor for the Wake Forest game in November, Austin expressed the Tigers’ intent to take a closer look at him this spring.

“They really like me,” Knox said. “They want to re-evaluate me in the spring. That’s pretty much what he said when I was at the Wake Forest game.”

“Our relationship is pretty good,” he added of Austin. “We both know each other pretty well. So, hopefully things will pick up real good soon here.”

Knox has camped at Clemson since he was in the seventh grade and plans to participate in the Dabo Swinney Camp again this summer.

“It’s real fun,” he said of Swinney’s football camps. “As a kid, you go and look forward to Swinney Ball and stuff like that. But as you get older, you actually start getting interested to learn stuff and get better as you go there. So, that’s really one thing that you can do when you get there – you get better, get to compete a little bit more in one-on-ones.”

Knox doesn’t currently have a timeline for his commitment decision, as he waits to see what other college offers come his way.

Clemson is undoubtedly the “dream offer” for Knox.

“It would mean a lot,” he said. “To get that offer has been a dream of mine for a long time. I feel like I’ve been working real hard to get offers from schools such as Clemson. So, it really would mean a lot to me.”

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Highly-touted Georgia OL high on Clemson, hopes to visit

Recently, Robbie Caldwell stopped by the high school of a highly-touted offensive tackle from the state of Georgia. Caldwell was at Denmark High School (Alpharetta, Ga.) to see 2023 four-star offensive tackle Shamurad Umarov. “First off, he started …

“First off, he started off saying that Clemson doesn’t offer early, so he wanted to get to know me and know my grades, my education, my lifestyle, just how I am as a person,” Umarov told The Clemson Insider.

“I think that means a lot,” he added. “If they say that to me first off, before they even offer me and talk to me in general, I think that means a lot to me because they’re showing that they genuinely want to get to know me as a person and they don’t just want me for their program and just to get them wins.”

Since TCI spoke with Umarov last week, Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney announced that the longtime offensive line coach would be retiring from his current role and transitioning into an off-field role with the program as director of high school relations.

While it’s unclear whether Umarov knew of Caldwell’s future plans, Clemson’s succession plan was in action with his recruitment. After Caldwell visited his high school, Umarov heard from Thomas Austin — Clemson’s newly minted offensive line coach — on Twitter. The two have been exchanging messages since then.

Austin will ask Umarov questions about his day, how his season went and what he thought his team did well this season. He also asked for him to send over his film, which he did.

Speaking of that, how does Umarov think he performed across his junior campaign?

“I definitely think I improved,” he said. “My sophomore year, that was my first year in varsity, so I got to see how people played and how everything was different from middle school and freshman ball. And then this season, I definitely just got to get better at my technique and my game.”

Umarov started at left tackle for his first full season of Varsity.

As far as his recruitment is concerned, Umarov is keeping his options open. Being committed before his senior campaign is an intriguing option as he embarks on his final season of high school football, but he also just wants to play it through. At the end of the day, it’ll just have to be a feel thing.

What are some of the factors that Umarov is looking for in a school at the next level?

“Looking for the proximity to my home,” he said. “I like a more homey feel, like a mix of nature and city, like a town where everyone knows each other and if you wanna get a quick bite from somewhere, you know who to ask and you know where to go right away. And it just feels like home.”

Umarov (6-6, 290) ranks as the No. 15 offensive tackle and No. 188 overall prospect in the 2023 recruiting class, according to 247Sports’ rankings.

He has an impressive list of Power 5 offers from schools like Florida, Florida State, Indiana, Louisville, Michigan State, Mizzou, N.C. State, North Carolina, Ole Miss, Purdue, Tennessee, UCF, Virginia, Virginia Tech and West Virginia.

He’d love the chance to make it up to Clemson sometime in the near future.

“If they invited me, I’d definitely go,” he said. “It’s so close to me. The school’s cool. I like it! That’s all I’m gonna say. I like it!”

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Top Clemson OL target reacts to Caldwell retiring

Following Clemson’s 20-13 win over Iowa State Cheez-It Bowl, Robbie Caldwell was given a Gatorade bath. Yes, Clemson’s offensive line coach was more than deserving, considering a tumultuous season that saw him and his unit as constant culprits of …

Following Clemson’s 20-13 win over Iowa State Cheez-It Bowl, Robbie Caldwell was given a Gatorade bath.

Yes, Clemson’s offensive line coach was more than deserving, considering a tumultuous season that saw him and his unit as constant culprits of criticism, but in a way, it was also a send-off.

Clemson coach Dabo Swinney announced postgame that Wednesday’s bowl game was the last for Robbie Caldwell as the Tigers’ offensive line coach.

Caldwell will be transitioning into an off-field role with the program as a director of high school relations. While Swinney said offensive analyst Thomas Austin will be taking over as the offensive line coach moving forward

This news shouldn’t come as a surprise to many. While Swinney didn’t announce the move until a couple of hours after Clemson’s season concluded, it was the expected move for quite some time now.

It’s also likely that prospective recruits were aware of Clemson’s plans, while Caldwell served as many of their lead recruiters. The Clemson Insider spoke with one of those recruits Thursday, who spoke glowingly of Caldwell.

Even though Caldwell and Elliott served as Oceanside Collegiate Academy (Mt. Plesasnat) 2023 four-star offensive tackle Monroe Freeling’s lead recruiters, it doesn’t appear that the absence of those two figures will affect his recruitment.

“I have really enjoyed getting to know Coach Caldwell,” Freeling told TCI. “He is as genuine as it gets and tells great stories. His best story was how he tried to recruit my current OL coach (Antoine Rivens) ‘back in the day.’ It’s great that he ended his career as a coach with a W.

“His legacy will live on through Coach Austin, who I am excited to see begin his coaching career at Clemson!”

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Clemson assistant retiring from on-field coaching

ORLANDO, Fla. – One of Clemson’s football assistants has coached his last game after more than four decades in the profession. Wednesday’s Cheez-It Bowl was the last for Robbie Caldwell as the Tigers’ offensive line coach. Caldwell will be …

ORLANDO, Fla. — One of Clemson’s football assistants has coached his last game after more than four decades in the profession.

Wednesday’s Cheez-It Bowl was the last for Robbie Caldwell as the Tigers’ offensive line coach. Caldwell will be transitioning into an off-field role with the program as a director of high school relations, Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said.

Caldwell got a water cooler bath from some of his linemen following Clemson’s 20-13 win over Iowa State. He was also presented with a game ball.

“I’m really thankful he’s still going to be with us, but’s time,” Swinney said. “He’s excited about a new role and new opportunity to impact the team.”

Swinney said offensive analyst Thomas Austin will be taking over as the offensive line coach moving forward. Former Clemson offensive lineman and graduate assistant Tyrone Crowder will be moving into an analyst role while another former Tiger, Brandon Thomas, will be replacing Crowder as the offensive line graduate assistant.

“I appreciate Robby and appreciate who he is,” Swinney said. “He’s an unbelievable person of character.”

Caldwell, a South Carolina native who’s been coaching at the collegiate level since the late 1970s, has been Clemson’s offensive line coach since 2011. In 44 years of coaching, he’s had stints at Furman, North Carolina State, North Carolina and Vanderbilt, where he also served as interim head coach for a season before being hired at Clemson.

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Big in-state OL: Clemson ‘100 percent my dream offer’

A longtime Dabo Swinney Football Camper came back to Clemson recently, but this time, it was for his first game-day visit. Rock Hill (S.C.) Northwestern junior offensive lineman Jordan Knox – a regular participant in the Swinney Camps since he was …

A longtime Dabo Swinney Football Camper came back to Clemson recently, but this time, it was for his first game-day visit.

Rock Hill (S.C.) Northwestern junior offensive lineman Jordan Knox – a regular participant in the Swinney Camps since he was in the seventh grade – attended the Tigers’ 48-27 victory over then-No. 10 Wake Forest on Nov. 20.

“It was amazing!” Knox said of the visit. “I actually was invited a few weeks ago to the FSU game (on Oct. 30) but I already had plans that weekend with another school. But yes, Clemson is just how I thought and expected it to be. First-class people, first-class staff. It was just awesome to be there for it.”

Knox (6-4, 300) also made game-day visits to Virginia Tech, Coastal Carolina, Appalachian State and Charlotte this season.

The class of 2023 prospect traveled to Clemson for the Wake Forest game with his father and a friend.

“My friend actually is a big-time Clemson fan along with us, so he just wanted to experience what it was like as a recruit, and my dad absolutely loved it,” Knox said. “I think we have been to like five or six schools this year and those schools were great, but he said Clemson has the edge right now.”

Knox said the highlight of the day for him was the love he was shown upon his arrival to campus by Clemson’s staff, including offensive analyst Thomas Austin.

“The little things like that just show you why Clemson is so special and why they are where they are right now,” Knox said. “Also the way they treat every recruit and their guest(s) is great. Coach Swinney always says ‘everyone can’t play at Clemson,’ but the lessons learned and the way they treat everyone the same is truly special.”

Knox spoke before and after the game with Austin, who let Knox know that the Tigers plan to take a closer look at him this spring.

“He said they will definitely be doing some evaluations in the spring on me,” Knox said.

South Florida, Charlotte and Eastern Michigan have offered Knox, who is also garnering interest from South Carolina, Vanderbilt, Virginia Tech, Cincinnati, Coastal Carolina, Appalachian State and Miami (Ohio).

Clemson undoubtedly represents the dream offer for the standout in-state recruit.

“I’ve been playing football since I was 6 and it’s 100 percent my dream offer,” Knox said. “Being a Tiger would mean it all to me, and it’s really what I have been working towards for a long time. But I am thankful to have the offers I have, and I am trusting God to put me in the place he wants me to be in and not what I want.”

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OL with Clemson ties feels he’d ‘fit right in’ with the Tigers

A big Tar Heel State offensive lineman with a couple of ties to the Clemson football program returned to Tiger Town last weekend for his second visit to Death Valley this season. After attending the Tigers’ victory over Boston College in October, …

A big Tar Heel State offensive lineman with a couple of ties to the Clemson football program returned to Tiger Town last weekend for his second visit to Death Valley this season.

After attending the Tigers’ victory over Boston College in October, Belmont (N.C.) South Point 2023 tackle Sullivan Absher was back on campus to see Clemson beat then-No. 10 Wake Forest last Saturday, 48-27.

“I was able to make it down for the Boston College game, which was a (7:30) p.m. game, so I was halfway expecting a bit of a more laid-back environment vs. Wake this week because it was a 12 p.m. kickoff, but that couldn’t be further from the truth!” Absher said to The Clemson Insider. “This game was probably even more energetic than the BC game.”

Absher, a 6-foot-7, 290-pound junior, attends South Point High School – the alma mater of former Clemson All-ACC safety Tanner Muse and current Clemson director of high school relations/special assistant to the offense Kyle Richardson.

The Muse family lives in the neighborhood next to Absher’s family, so they have been family friends for a while, and Absher knows a lot of the same people as Richardson.

Absher spent time with Richardson during Saturday’s visit, as well as offensive analyst Thomas Austin and offensive line coach Robbie Caldwell.

“The biggest thing they were speaking about is how much improvement I make from week to week and being able to adapt to different situations in games,” Absher said of what he heard from the staff. “The coaches also spoke to me about how much of a family the Clemson program is and how they’d love to get me to be a part of it.”

Absher said his second visit to Clemson this season helped him get a better feel for where he stands with the Tigers at this point in the recruiting process.

“One thing about my high school team is that we run the triple option, so we don’t block in the traditional pro-style technique,” he said. “So one thing they’ve told me to improve on is my pass blocking, which I’ve been working on with a trainer every week. So hopefully the offer comes as soon as I can showcase those pass-blocking skills.”

Absher currently owns offers from Wake Forest, North Carolina, NC State, Duke, Virginia Tech, Notre Dame, Michigan State, Coastal Carolina, Appalachian State, East Carolina and Old Dominion.

If the Tigers come calling with an offer of their own, Absher can see himself calling Clemson home in the future.

“It’d be huge to have the opportunity to be a part of such a historic program,” he said, “and now that I have some stronger relationships with some of the coaching staff, it seems like I’d fit right in.”

Absher has also made game-day visits this season to UNC, NC State, Wake Forest and Virginia Tech. Saturday’s Clemson visit marked his final trip of the season, but he anticipates getting back to Clemson in the spring.

“If an opportunity comes for me to get down to Clemson, I’ll be there,” he said.

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Big Alabama OL with Clemson connection recaps game-day visit

This massive offensive line prospect, with a connection to a Clemson football staff member, made his way back to campus last Saturday for an unofficial visit. Northridge High School (Tuscaloosa, Ala.) tackle Wilkin Formby – a 6-foot-8, 300-pound …

This massive offensive line prospect, with a connection to a Clemson football staff member, made his way back to campus last Saturday for an unofficial visit.

Northridge High School (Tuscaloosa, Ala.) tackle Wilkin Formby – a 6-foot-8, 300-pound junior in the class of 2023 – attended the Tigers’ 48-27 victory over Wake Forest at Death Valley.

Formby, who holds double digit power conference scholarship offers, previously visited Clemson to compete at the Dabo Swinney Camp this past June. But Saturday marked his first game-day experience in Tiger Town.

“It was great to see it on a game day since I had only been there for a camp,” Formby told The Clemson Insider. “I loved spending time with the staff and coaches. Their facilities are top notch. The fans brought good energy and stayed the whole game.”

Formby said the highlight of Saturday’s visit for him was “probably the time with the coaches and staff.”

“To me relationships are very important,” he added, “and I really appreciate the relationship I have with the folks at Clemson!”

Formby has a tie to the Tigers’ football program in the form of Thad Turnipseed, Clemson’s director of special projects and external affairs. Formby and his family are former neighbors of Turnipseed, an Alabama native.

Formby and Turnipseed were able to catch up Saturday, while Formby also spent time with offensive analyst Thomas Austin and offensive player development coach Cole Stoudt, as well as offensive line coach Robbie Caldwell.

“Coach Caldwell and I talked a lot about my season,” Formby said. “I hadn’t seen him since camp this summer. He said he could tell I have been putting in the work and continuing to get bigger.”

Formby is already planning to return to Clemson for another visit in the spring. In addition to Clemson, he has made game-day visits this season to Alabama, Auburn, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Tennessee, Florida State and Georgia Tech, and he is scheduled to visit Auburn on Saturday for its Iron Bowl matchup vs. Alabama.

Florida State, Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech, Louisville, Kentucky, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Tennessee, Colorado and Kansas have all extended offers to Formby, who hopes to see Clemson pull the trigger on an offer and give him the opportunity to suit up with the Tigers at Death Valley in the future.

“The atmosphere was great, and very impressive!” he said. “It would be great to earn an offer there, and great to play there as well! It’s definitely the type of program I would want to play for!”

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Elite in-state OT recaps Clemson visit: ‘Everybody was happy that I was there’

This past Thursday, The Clemson Insider made a pit stop at Woodland High School Dorchester (S.C.) to see one of the premier offense tackles in the class of 2024, as a part of this year’s version of the Tour of Champions. Kam Pringle returned to …

Kam Pringle returned to Tiger Town for the first time since this past summer, in which he participated in the Dabo Swinney Camp. He was in attendance for Clemson’s 48-27 win over Wake Forest at Memorial Stadium on Saturday.

TCI caught up with Pringle again on Sunday regarding his first game day experience in The Valley.

“It was definitely great, I had a good time,” Pringle told TCI. “That was my first time being in Death Valley for game day. [The reception] was really warm from the coaches, warm from the fans and the players. Everybody was happy that I was there.”

What would Pringle say the highlight of the visit was?

“Definitely meeting the players and talking with the coaches,” he said, “and just walking around the stadium, seeing all the people and the fans that I know who I am, telling me to become be a Tiger and all that.”

Pringle had a chance to talk with current Clemson players Jordan McFadden and K.J. Henry.

“They were just happy I was there,” he added. “K.J, he didn’t really know as much who I was, but he knew that I was an o-linemen and he wanted me to come play for Clemson.”

As for McFadden, he coached Pringle through a couple of drills earlier this past summer. The two also follow one another on Instagram and share some messages back and forth every once in a while.

With that being said, what was the overall message that Pringle received from Clemson’s coaching staff?

“I talked to Coach Caldwell for a good little minute,” he said. “I talked to Coach Austin. As usual, as I tell y’all, they don’t really say too much as far as conversating, but really their main message is just, when the time comes, just be ready and, of course, consider Clemson in my recruitment.”

It was nice for Pringle to catch up with Clemson offensive line coach Robbie Caldwell and offensive analyst Thomas Austin in person, considering most of his recruitment is currently done through his head coach at Woodland, Eddie Ford.

According to Pringle, Austin was excited to see him, as was Clemson coach Dabo Swinney.

“With Coach Swinney, he just saw me and was like, ‘Aww man! Looks like you’re getting better.’ He also said that I was huge,” Pringle said. “We took a couple of pictures together.”

One of those pictures that Pringle is referencing (pictured above) was taken after Clemson’s 21-point win over the Demon Deacons. He got a chance to be in the locker room after the game.

Pringle certainly picked the right game to make his visit.

“It was loud now,” he said regarding the atmosphere at Memorial Stadium. “I knew it was loud, but it was actually really loud. Of course, it calmed down a bit, once they were up on Wake Forest pretty good. But, in the first quarter, oh my gosh…it was a lot going on. A lot of crazy fans, loud fans, yelling and screaming.”

He also found it pretty cool to be recognized by the Clemson faithful.

“Of course being from South Carolina, you got a lot of Columbia fans on my Twitter,” Pringle said. “But, when I got up to Clemson, I didn’t know that I had that many Clemson fans that really knew who I was too. After I posted, my phone was blowing up with all these Clemson fan followers who maybe saw me or saw the pictures of me at Clemson.”

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Clemson showing interest in recent UNCC decommit

Even when Jacob Ashley was committed to UNCC, he had been hearing sparingly from Clemson. After he decommitted from the school that he originally offered his verbal pledge to, Oceanside Collegiate Academy (Mount Pleasant, S.C.) three-star offensive …

Even when Jacob Ashley was committed to UNCC, he had been hearing sparingly from Clemson.

After he decommitted from the school that he originally offered his verbal pledge to, Oceanside Collegiate Academy (Mount Pleasant, S.C.) three-star offensive tackle’s talks with the Tigers began to heat up.

“Clemson definitely was one of the first schools to reach out to and let me know that they’re still interested,” Ashley told TCI this past weekend. “And still gonna possibly be able to work something out with a PWO offer.”

In addition to Clemson, Ashley has heard from Florida State, Wake Forest, North Carolina, Coastal Carolina and Mississippi State has inquired about him as well.

Ashley got on the phone with Clemson offensive analyst Thomas Austin on Friday. The two already have a preexisting history with one another. Prior to Austin returning to Clemson, he was the offensive line coach at Georgia State, where he actually offered Ashley a scholarship. Austin has kept tabs on the senior offensive lineman ever since.

“He said he’s still interested,” Ashley said. “He invited me to come up for the game this [past] Saturday against UConn. He invited me up there. I train with [Clemson four-star offensive tackle commit] Collin Sadler. Me and him are really, really good buddies. He was telling me that he had his official visit [last] weekend…we all agreed that because there were so many official visits that we might as well not visit Clemson this [past] weekend.”

Since this past weekend was dominated by Clemson’s official visitors in the 2022 recruiting class, Ashley and his parents decided that visiting Clemson another time would likely be a better idea, so he could get some more face time with the Tigers’ coaching staff.

With that being said, how does Ashley weigh the possibility of being a PWO at Clemson or being placed on a scholarship elsewhere?

“That’s actually one of the things when I went up and visited Clemson earlier this summer, that we all went out to dinner and I was talking with Coach [Robbie] Caldwell, Coach [Tony] Elliott and Coach Austin about. They were saying the exact same thing, that preferred walk-ons get treated just like scholarship players at Clemson. That’s definitely a plus…it really comes down to where it feels right to me. If I’m offered a full ride somewhere else and as a PWO at Clemson, but Clemson’s the one that feels right, then I’ll take the PWO offer.”

Ashley indicated that he needs to get up to different schools and determine what feels right and feels like home. Whether that will be Clemson remains to be seen, but Sadler has been on Ashley’s case since he announced his decommitment.

“Collin’s been on my tail ever since I decommitted about how I need to get up to Clemson,” Ashley said. “I know he wants nothing more for me and him to get up there together and we talked about how if I do come up there, we’re gonna room together and all this and that…Collin has been on my tail pushing real hard. He’s practically begging me to get up there.”

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Priority offensive lineman talks the latest on Clemson

Joshua Miller provided the latest on his current recruitment in a recent conversation with The Clemson Insider. The class of 2023 three-star offensive lineman out of Life Christian Academy (Colonial Heights, Va.) included Clemson in his top-5 …

Joshua Miller provided the latest on his current recruitment in a recent conversation with The Clemson Insider.

The class of 2023 three-star offensive lineman out of Life Christian Academy (Colonial Heights, Va.) included Clemson in his top-5 schools, along with Penn State, North Carolina, Virginia Tech and Tennessee.

“Definitely the relationship I have with the coaches,” Miller said when asked why Clemson is a finalist in his recruitment. “Just how the coaches are always checking in on me, checking on my family. That was a big part. Just the program itself, even though they started off the season kind of shaky, but they fixing all the little stuff. Everything is coming back to how Clemson used to be. I’m focusing on the future with them, watching how everything will carry out.”

Miller has talked time and time again about his relationship with Clemson offensive line coach Robbie Caldwell. Though, he spent a good portion of his time with offensive analyst Thomas Austin during his return visit to The Valley last month. Miller took an unofficial game day visit for Clemson’s 19-13 win over Boston College on Saturday, Oct. 2.

“Me and Coach Austin, we actually have a great relationship,” Miller said. “He also has a great relationship with my mom. Coach Austin, he’s just a real down-to-earth dude. It’s always nothing but smiles and good vibes around Coach Austin. Anytime we’re around him, we’re just kickin’ it, having a good time, laughing and joking, just enjoying each other’s company.”

While Miller made sure to differentiate Caldwell and Austin’s personalities, he can see the similarities in their coaching style, he said.

Circling back around to his recruitment, when it’s time to make that fateful decision, what does Miller think it’s ultimately going to come down to?

“The relationship with the coaches, not just for me, but for my family,” he said. “Definitely location. The fanbase will play a part in it, but I’m really just focused on my academics and just what’s gonna get me on the path I’m trying to go.”

As far as a future commitment is concerned, Miller doesn’t have a certain date set just yet. He was thinking about committing on his birthday, March 22, but official visits for rising seniors don’t open up until April 1.

Miller indicated that anywhere between March-May 2022 is when he’ll commit. He said that he “most definitely” wants to decide before the start of his senior campaign.

He’ll be in Happy Valley this weekend and plans on being in attendance for Clemson’s regular-season finale, though he’ll be at Williams-Brice Stadium as a guest of South Carolina. The Gamecocks are the only program that Miller is currently considering outside of his top-5.

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