I feel pretty confident stating that there was no name higher on Rodney Garner’s list this year than 4* DT Coynis Miller. Auburn was the second school to offer the Birmingham native and were recruiting him just as hard as his teammate Tadarrian Moultry when Miller was only a junior in high school. That relationship helped the Tigers beat out Alabama and Florida for the #10 ranked defensive tackle prospect.
Please welcome @junior256_ to the Auburn Family!#WarEagle | #AUNSD18 pic.twitter.com/8tC2TuGZGl
— Auburn Football (@AuburnFootball) February 7, 2018
Miller said all along he would not sign early and wanted to take some official visits in the spring. He also reiterated time and time again that he was solid to the Tigers. Both proved true. Miller took official visits to Auburn, Oregon and Tennessee before shutting things down. Both the Ducks and Vols are coached by former Alabama staffers who played major roles in the Tide’s early recruitment of Miller.
On the field, Miller has as high an upside as you will find in this class. He’s explosive off the line and possesses an impressively quick first step. He’s also an incredible athlete with the ability to easily redirect and chase down ball carriers. The big question is his ability to give consistent high level effort. That’s not an unusual question mark for top defensive lineman coming out of high school who are used to dominating with their superior talent. In fact, it was one of the big knocks on former AU great Montravius Adams when he signed with Auburn. I expect Garner to get the best out of Miller like he did with Adams.
Oh and Miller could be a Wildcat option in the future as well.
The Tigers are going to need defensive tackle help very soon. Miller will be a big part of replacing all the interior talent that will leave after the 2018 season. I would not be surprised to see Miller see some similar usage as Big Kat Bryant this past year where Auburn gives him a chance to get his feet wet but he’s not yet asked to play a ton of high pressured snaps. Although, given Miller’s talent, I would not be surprised at all to see him carve out a role in next year’s rotation. This dude can play.
War Eagle Coynis!