It was a busy Wednesday for newly named Tennessee football coach Josh Heupel.
The former Knight turned Volunteer boss left Orlando in the morning, was introduced at noon and then made the media rounds that afternoon. Later that night, Heupel began reaching out to the in-state prospects in the 2022 class.
One of the first numbers dialed was to Cameron Miller of Memphis Academy.
“It was a god conversation and I really can tell he cares about us in-state kids already,” Miller told Volquest. “As soon as he pretty much got here, he gave most of us a call. That’s special for him to do and a good way to start off his program here – good way to start the rebuild.”
The 6-foot-1, 185-pound wide receiver released his top-six a few weeks ago that included the home state Volunteers along with Alabama, Oregon, Florida, Ole Miss and Memphis.
Miller hopes to make a final decision and commit sometime in the summer before senior football season, so it was important for Heupel to get the ball rolling in closing the borders with these in-state prospects.
“He was just introducing himself and checking in with me. He also told me what he plans to bring to Tennessee offensively,” the four-star said. “He likes to run up-tempo and score a lot of points. It was good to hear his plan for that.
“He was saying all this and then explaining how special it would be for us Tennessee kids to come to Knoxville and join him.”
The Memphis Academy standout said Heupel was easy to talk to and had a good personality. UT’s new coach also made sure to ask about Miller’s family and that stood out to the prospect.
“We were talking it up about a lot of things,” Miller said. “And then he asked about my family and how they were doing. It was good to hear he was asking about those types of things. It really shows he cares.”
The 13th-ranked prospect out of Tennessee has been studying Heupel at his prior stops in Orlando, at Missouri, Oklahoma and others. Miller likes the fact that he’s coached at Neyland Stadium before, too.
“He’s come to Tennessee and coached in some pretty big games before,” the Vol target said. “He puts up points and he will bring that with him to Tennessee.”
Memphis Academy did not play football this past fall due to the coronavirus pandemic, but the team is gearing up for a spring season with practice starting on Monday. Miller has been training nonstop since the conclusion of 2019’s season and is eager to get back out there.
“I’ve been working on my speed and separation a lot. This spring and next fall are going to have to be big for me since we missed out last fall,” Miller said. “I’m just excited and eager to get back out there and compete.”
Miller plans to play sparingly this spring as a tune up for the senior campaign come August.