Iroquois' Miller to Attend Hobart

Next to the annual family beach vacation, my favorite part about August is knowing that preseason camps are starting up and football season is just a few more weeks away!

In the meantime, here's some more Hobart recruiting news:

The Sun News reports that Iroquois High School's (Elma, near Buffalo, NY) SR RB/DB Tyler Miller will enroll at Hobart.   Miller was a First Team Section 6 Class A South player for the 7-2 Chiefs.  The small (6' 1" 175 lbs), but speedy Miller rushed for 1,004 yards on 154 carries (111.6 YPG)  in 2012 and scored 13 total TDs.  He was also a receiving threat out of the backfield, collecting 19 passes for 324 yards (17.05 YPR). A link to the article announcing Miller's enrollment to Hobart can be found here.

Although he was recognized for his offensive prowess, Tyler also starred on defense for the Chiefs.  Miller tallied 46 total tackles and three tackles for a loss (TFL) as a DB.

My guess is Tyler starts off his college career in a special teams role. Miller totaled an impressive 136 return yards, including a long of 90 yards vs. Grand Island (8-2 overall, 5-1 Class 6A North).  Given the lack of depth of RB (only four men on the current Statesmen roster), my initial thought is Miller could initially play that position.  That said I wouldn't be surprised if he moves to DB over his college career.

The Statesmen, for better or for worse, have utilized a smaller, speedy DB unit that play a conservative "keep things in front" style of play that has been bolstered by it's relentless pass rush.  This typically works well against most Eastern teams, but obviously wasn't in the same league against the big and fast receivers from #2 Saint Thomas in the NCAA Elite 8.

Miller fits the aforementioned mold so it remains to be seen whether he's given a shot to stick with offense or gets groomed to play special teams and/or defense as a collegiate player.

Regardless, this is another great pickup for the Statesmen so please join me in welcoming Tyler to the Hobart Football Class of 2017!

Go 'Bart!