Commitment analysis: Triston Miller to North Carolina

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Triston Miller originally committed to Wake Forest just over a year ago, but he started picking up more offers and eventually decided to reopen the process in late February. Miller has some ties to North Carolina and he visited Chapel Hill a few times during the offseason, but he was also researching other schools. Miller decided to commit to NC State in June, but he decommitted just over a week ago when he learned that NC State’s offensive line coach, Dwayne Ledford, was leaving for Louisville. North Carolina had already been working on prying Miller away from the in-state rival and the Tar Heels had their opening. Miller announced his commitment to North Carolina on the first day of the Early Signing Period.

The Tar Heels need as much help as they can get, and building on the offensive line is a major key for Mack Brown as he tries to build this program. New offensive coordinator Phil Longo needs a solid front line for his offense to run on all cylinders, and adding Miller to the mix is a step in the right direction. Miller has a lot of potential from a physical perspective, and his athleticism should help him see the field relatively early in his career. Expect Miller to benefit from the the strength and conditioning program and if he makes a lot of progress there he should get on the field by his second year on campus.

NC State would have liked to keep Miller in the fold. The Wolfpack now hold three commitments from offensive linemen (four if you count long snapper Joe Shimko), but all three are built like interior linemen. Miller has the frame of an offensive tackle and is viewed as somebody who could potentially protect the quarterback’s blind side. NC State isn’t short on that type of lineman, but having a lot of them is important, especially with the way the injury bug can strike at any time.

North Carolina flipping Miller from NC State also hurts the Wolfpack when it comes to in-state recruiting dominance. In the 2018 recruiting cycle NC State flipped linebacker Payton Wilson away from the Tar Heels, and the Wolfpack were the dominant in-state team this recruiting cycle. North Carolina now flipping Miller could send a signal to the younger in-state prospects that the Tar Heels could end up dominating the upcoming 2020 recruiting cycle.