Miller makes his decision

Fontana (Calif.) Kaiser running back Lonyae Miller always had incredible upside and he lived up to it this past season with a huge senior campaign. The athlete took an official visit to Fresno State this past weekend and decided to end the recruiting process while on his trip.

"I committed this morning to Coach Hill," Miller said. "Fresno State is just a great place for me and I loved everything about the trip. I can't think of a single negative and I can't wait to get down there and play for a guy like Coach Hill.

"Fresno State has a great atmosphere, I loved the campus and the players and coaches are all really down to earth. Academically, it's a great fit for me as well and Coach Hill really stresses academics to all the players. When he came over for my home visit, no kidding, he didn't talk about football at all, all he talked about was academics and told me what I needed to do to be successful there.

"Coach Hill was really the biggest thing for me in terms of what I really liked about the school. He's a straight forward guy who tells it like it is and doesn't sugar coat anything. A perfect example is when we talked about how much playing time I would be getting when I first got there. Most schools would probably lie to you and say, 'come here, you can't start right away,' and say things like that.

"Coach Hill said when I get there, I'm going to be starting at the bottom of the barrel and will have to work for everything. He didn't promise me anything but just said if I want to play, I'm going to have to work for it and show why I should be playing and I loved that. That's how I am, I love working hard so I think it's going to be a perfect match for me."

Miller, 6-0, 210 pounds took a November visit to UTEP and had a January trip set to Oregon State but will now be canceling it.

"Why would you commit to a school and then still look around," Miller said. "That's just not right. When you give a school your word, that should mean something. If I still took that visit, that would show Fresno State that I have doubt in my mind about them and I don't so I'm done looking at any other school."

Miller was recently named his league's player of the year and also earned all-CIF honors after rushing for over 2,500 yards with 37 touchdowns. Miller is a big back with speed who has the ability to run inside or outside. He's very strong and his upside and physical gifts are as impressive as just about any back in the West Coast this year.