Impact Report: 2020 Guard Kyree Miller

Every time Tennessee gets a commitment in either football or men’s basketball, we will write up an impact report looking at what that recruit does well, what we feel he needs to improve in his game, and what his projected impact with the Vols could be over the next few years.

Latest Commit: Kyree Miller, OG
Height/Weight: 6-foot-5, 370 pounds
School: West Mesquite (Texas)
Home Town: Mesquite, TX

Rankings
247Sports Composite: No. 2,219 overall, No. 135 OG
247Sports: No. 2,409 overall, No. 152 OG
Rivals: N/A

Notable Offers: UTEP, SMU, Liberty

What we like:

Don’t let Miller’s recruiting rankings or his offer list fool you; the massive offensive lineman has a lot of skill and potential. When you think of the phrase “road grader,” Miller is the type of lineman you’re talking about. He’s extremely physical, gets good hand placement, and is a pancake maker on his highlight film. Granted, a lot of the defenders he’s going up against look to be somewhat undersized, but he controls the line of scrimmage even when taking on bigger bodies.

Miller moves exceptionally well for his size. One of the things that stands out to me the most about his play is just how quick on his feet he is. He’s able to pull outside effectively in run blocking, and he gets upfield with ease when blocking at the next level. I’m very impressed not only by his movement speed and overall athleticism, but also by his football IQ. He seems to have a solid foundation of skills, and he has that toughness and nastiness to him that Jim Chaney and Will Friend are really coveting in offensive linemen at UT.

I’m no offensive line expert, but if Jim Chaney likes an offensive lineman, that usually tells me all I need to know.

Places to improve: 

Overall, Miller has a lot of upside, but with that upside comes some areas for improvement. Miller himself has admitted that one area he needs to work on is getting his hands to move quicker. While he usually has good hand placement and is very aggressive and explosive, his quickness in that area does need improvement. There are a few technique things Miller will need to shore up, and his highlight film doesn’t show off a lot of his pass blocking ability. As a guard, that’s more of a secondary concern, and he’s a bona fide mauler as a run blocker. But pass blocking at any spot along the offensive line is still important, and I would like to see more of what he can do there. I also wonder about him finding the right position. He probably projects more as a guard, but UT has told him that he could slim down and play tackle, too. I think trying to nail him down to one spot as soon as possible would be best.

Analysis:

Though raw in areas, it’s clear that Miller has a ton of upside and has the attitude and physicality Tennessee’s coaches covet from an offensive lineman. With the Vols already possessing commitments from three other interior linemen in their 2020 class, it’ll be interesting to see who can leapfrog one another for early playing time. I think Javontez Spraggins and Cooper Mays are the most in line for early playing time. Miller seems to be a little bit more of a project than either of those two or James Robinson, so it wouldn’t surprise me to see him redshirt as a freshman. Even with that, I think proper coaching and finding his positional home will help him unlock his potential.