*This is the article version of Tristan Leigh's podcast interview posted yesterday. If you'd like to listen to the full audio, click here.
2021 Robinson Secondary (VA) 5-star OT Tristan Leigh was one of the first offers upon the arrival of OL coach Garin Justice into the Miami Hurricanes’ program back in mid-January.
“It was great. As a kid growing up, everybody knows about the U,” Leigh said of his UM offer. “That’s a big thing. I was just excited about it because I had been talking with coach Justice already for a while.”
Since then, the connection between the pair has progressed, and that has continued into the coronavirus shutdowns.
“My relationship with coach Justice is pretty good,” Leigh said. “There’s a lot of trust in it, we’re straight up with each other, that’s what I like about him. Right now, we’re just talking about the quarantine life.”
The concerns over COVID-19 have gotten so big that they have touched every aspect of daily life, and football and the recruiting process has been no different says Leigh.
“I feel like it’s something you can either mourn about it or you can use it to your advantage, even though it can be hard,” Leigh said. “If you’re not siting in class, you can be working, so that’s what I’ve been doing. Just been in my basement, me and my brother have been getting after it. On the bench, squat, curls, whatever we can do. Go outside and get some footwork in. So, we’re making the most out of it.”
In terms of the Hurricanes, Leigh is excited about the direction of the program and says he is eager to learn more about Miami.
“I like the culture there - even though the record hasn’t always shown it, they have a winning culture there,” Leigh said. “I like how coach Justice came in - he’s new to the staff - he seems like he knows what he’s talking about, we talked a little game. He seems like a coach you can trust and go to with anything you need. I could see them being more successful in the future.”
The 6-5 275 pound prospect was planning a school tour down south to visit all of the Florida programs before the shutdown, but says he still plans to see the UM campus when everything clears up.
“I’ve been to the Miami area a couple times,” Leigh said. “It’s a great area, who can’t love the weather there? There’s a lot of opportunity out there for connections after football if the NFL isn’t the path.”
As for where he is at in the process, Leigh says he has no current decision timetable or top groups, and prefers to keep things more open until the coronavirus situation dissipates.
“It kind of feels like everything is on pause right now because of how crazy this stuff is,” Leigh said. “I’m just trying to take it day to day, really just wait for this stuff to pass and try to figure out what to do from there… I’m just trying to find out as much as I can about every school during this quarantine.”
Aside from Miami, Leigh points to programs such as LSU, Clemson, Florida State, UCF, Alabama, Ohio State, Penn State, Virginia, and Oklahoma as schools he is in touch with frequently.
“A lot of schools have a lot of the same stuff, so you kind of have to find little things that make the schools different,” Leigh said. “That can be kind of hard - it is hard - but it’s something you’ve got to do, it’s part of the process.”
Tristan’s father, Stanley Leigh, played running back for Virginia in the early 90’s, and both recently took a visit to see the Cavaliers’ campus in early March.
“It was pretty cool, I brought my dad and I brought my girl with me,” Leigh said of his UVA trip. “We watched the basketball game and they talked to me and the other in-state guys about how we could change the program by staying in-state.”
Does being a legacy to UVA factor into his decision process at all?
“Not really. It’s a mutual understanding thing,” Leigh said. “But I like Virginia, I like what they have to offer. You can’t ignore their academic success.”
Instead, Leigh expects to weigh the pro’s and con’s of each school more traditionally, then choose the program where he fits best.
“It’s just about where I feel at home really,” Leigh said. “Overall, when I put all those details together - like I was saying how you have to look at the different little things – when I put that all together, what’s honestly the best option? That’s pretty much what it will come down to, and my relationship with my positional coach.”
As a junior in 2019, Leigh and Robinson Secondary skidded to a disappointing 5-6 season. However, the star offensive lineman feels he and the team learned from their mistakes and will come back in 2020 with something to prove.
“My team wasn’t as good as we could’ve been, leadership was a problem,” Leigh said. “We needed some guys to step up and they couldn’t, but I’m not going to put it all on my team, there’s obviously more I could’ve done. It was a learning curve, and because we had that learning curve my junior year, I feel like we’re going to be very successful my senior season. I kind of just put it all behind me, and I’m ready to work and get a ring for my senior year.”
What will Leigh be working on in the offseason to prepare for success as a senior?
“Just reps, you can’t get enough reps. So I’m going to get as many opponents as I can go against as possible. Just keep lifting hard and staying on the workout plan.”
2021 Robinson Secondary (VA) 5-star OT Tristan Leigh was one of the first offers upon the arrival of OL coach Garin Justice into the Miami Hurricanes’ program back in mid-January.
“It was great. As a kid growing up, everybody knows about the U,” Leigh said of his UM offer. “That’s a big thing. I was just excited about it because I had been talking with coach Justice already for a while.”
Since then, the connection between the pair has progressed, and that has continued into the coronavirus shutdowns.
“My relationship with coach Justice is pretty good,” Leigh said. “There’s a lot of trust in it, we’re straight up with each other, that’s what I like about him. Right now, we’re just talking about the quarantine life.”
The concerns over COVID-19 have gotten so big that they have touched every aspect of daily life, and football and the recruiting process has been no different says Leigh.
“I feel like it’s something you can either mourn about it or you can use it to your advantage, even though it can be hard,” Leigh said. “If you’re not siting in class, you can be working, so that’s what I’ve been doing. Just been in my basement, me and my brother have been getting after it. On the bench, squat, curls, whatever we can do. Go outside and get some footwork in. So, we’re making the most out of it.”
In terms of the Hurricanes, Leigh is excited about the direction of the program and says he is eager to learn more about Miami.
“I like the culture there - even though the record hasn’t always shown it, they have a winning culture there,” Leigh said. “I like how coach Justice came in - he’s new to the staff - he seems like he knows what he’s talking about, we talked a little game. He seems like a coach you can trust and go to with anything you need. I could see them being more successful in the future.”
The 6-5 275 pound prospect was planning a school tour down south to visit all of the Florida programs before the shutdown, but says he still plans to see the UM campus when everything clears up.
“I’ve been to the Miami area a couple times,” Leigh said. “It’s a great area, who can’t love the weather there? There’s a lot of opportunity out there for connections after football if the NFL isn’t the path.”
As for where he is at in the process, Leigh says he has no current decision timetable or top groups, and prefers to keep things more open until the coronavirus situation dissipates.
“It kind of feels like everything is on pause right now because of how crazy this stuff is,” Leigh said. “I’m just trying to take it day to day, really just wait for this stuff to pass and try to figure out what to do from there… I’m just trying to find out as much as I can about every school during this quarantine.”
Aside from Miami, Leigh points to programs such as LSU, Clemson, Florida State, UCF, Alabama, Ohio State, Penn State, Virginia, and Oklahoma as schools he is in touch with frequently.
“A lot of schools have a lot of the same stuff, so you kind of have to find little things that make the schools different,” Leigh said. “That can be kind of hard - it is hard - but it’s something you’ve got to do, it’s part of the process.”
Tristan’s father, Stanley Leigh, played running back for Virginia in the early 90’s, and both recently took a visit to see the Cavaliers’ campus in early March.
“It was pretty cool, I brought my dad and I brought my girl with me,” Leigh said of his UVA trip. “We watched the basketball game and they talked to me and the other in-state guys about how we could change the program by staying in-state.”
Does being a legacy to UVA factor into his decision process at all?
“Not really. It’s a mutual understanding thing,” Leigh said. “But I like Virginia, I like what they have to offer. You can’t ignore their academic success.”
Instead, Leigh expects to weigh the pro’s and con’s of each school more traditionally, then choose the program where he fits best.
“It’s just about where I feel at home really,” Leigh said. “Overall, when I put all those details together - like I was saying how you have to look at the different little things – when I put that all together, what’s honestly the best option? That’s pretty much what it will come down to, and my relationship with my positional coach.”
As a junior in 2019, Leigh and Robinson Secondary skidded to a disappointing 5-6 season. However, the star offensive lineman feels he and the team learned from their mistakes and will come back in 2020 with something to prove.
“My team wasn’t as good as we could’ve been, leadership was a problem,” Leigh said. “We needed some guys to step up and they couldn’t, but I’m not going to put it all on my team, there’s obviously more I could’ve done. It was a learning curve, and because we had that learning curve my junior year, I feel like we’re going to be very successful my senior season. I kind of just put it all behind me, and I’m ready to work and get a ring for my senior year.”
What will Leigh be working on in the offseason to prepare for success as a senior?
“Just reps, you can’t get enough reps. So I’m going to get as many opponents as I can go against as possible. Just keep lifting hard and staying on the workout plan.”
