From Georgia to Florida, from youth football phenom to MVP at the Opening, Miles Friday has had an eventful ride up to this point in his career. The elusive running back is set to join the defending state champs, Cardinal Gibbons, and get a ring of his own in the final chapter of his high school football story.
I saw Miles earlier in the year at the Miami Opening, and he shined in the RB/LB drills with his ability to put together a series of creative moves to evade defenders. He followed up that showing with an impressive day at the Atlanta Opening, which ended with him being named MVP of the RB group.
“When I went to the other one in Miami, they didn’t know I was coming. I was down for both of them, and I was already in town in Atlanta, so I just decided to go. I didn’t do any testing or anything I just did the drills,” said Friday on his two appearances at Nike’s The Opening.
Miles did more than just show up in Atlanta. He showed out. I am sure many of the LB's wish he didn't show up after he put a number of them on skates during the competition drills.
The Georgia native began his high school career at Peachtree Ridge in Gwinnett county and had some eye-popping plays in his sophomore campaign which helped garner attention from a handful of Power 5 schools. Prior to his junior year, Friday decided to transfer to another Georgia powerhouse, Stephenson, but his season was cut short due to a couple of different factors.
“I was at Stephenson. I only got to play 5 games. I had to miss the first 4 games because of the transfer rule in Georgia. The approval process started really late, so I was finally able to get back on the field after the first bye week. I played the 5th game of the season, and we won the rest of our games going into the playoffs,” said Friday.
Once Friday finally got back into the groove of playing with a new team, and Stephenson was set to make a playoff run, he was injured in practice.
“The first week of playoffs, during practice, I tore my rotator cuff blocking during 11 on 11 drills. I missed the first playoff game and tried to come back the next week but ended up injuring it again. Once, I found out it was torn I stayed out. I thought it was just a sprain at first,” Friday explained.
Miles has since had minor surgery to repair the tear, and says he is back to lifting weights and feels 100%. He is now at Cardinal Gibbons and eager to win a state title ring. He mentioned bringing home a ring at least four times during our short conversation. While he is certainly a big time talent and a huge addition to Gibbons, it’s not always easy to be the new guy in the locker room. I asked Friday on what it is like to have to prove himself to a whole new group of guys all over again for his senior year.
“It’s not really about proving myself to them. I am just going to go out and try to get better. Get better with them every day. Stay with my team and make sure I am always around. Doing the things to be a leader. I just want to make sure I continue to show my face and lead by example. So it isn’t really about proving myself. I just feel like if I lead by example. They’ll follow. They’ll see my work ethic. They’ll see it.”
Gibbons lost some major talent on offense last year in Nik Scalzo and Vincent Davis. Friday will certainly help fill that void. “They got a really good tradition going. They just won state last year. I’m just trying to help them get another one,” Friday added.
Miles thought about moving down to Cardinal Gibbons prior to last season. It just didn’t quite work out but was able to create a connection with some former Chiefs. “I knew some of the seniors from the 2019 class. Khris (Bogle) was my dude. I was originally supposed to come down here to Cardinal Gibbons last year, but I decided to stay in Georgia for one more year because it was kind of late and I wasn’t sure if it was going to work out. So I talked to Khris a lot, the past running back Vincent (Davis) and just a lot of other guys form 2019 class. Mostly Khris though because I told him I needed that #7. He said I got to live out the legacy.”
Miles is excited to dawn the #7 for Gibbons next year and plans to do the number its justice. As for his new teammates and current Chiefs, Friday has already begun working on building that chemistry. “Definitely Tajae (Davis). He’s another running back. Bigger thicker running back. I’ve been talking to him a lot. He’s helping me learn the playbook and the signals. Also, the 2021 receiver Troy (Stellato) I think can be really good, so I have been talking with him and giving him some tips from my game that can help his game,” said Friday in response to my question about which guys have helped him get comfortable to his new team.
He’s also made it a point to connect with his new QB Brody Palheygi. Brody was one of the more intriguing stories in south Florida last season, as he filled in for the injured Nik Scalzo and helped lead the team through the playoffs and ultimately a state title. “He’s real good. He’s a funny guy. He’s got a cannon too. He knows what he’s doing too. He can read the field really good,” answered Friday when I asked what he thought of Brody’s game.
Friday will hit the field in a Chiefs uniform for the first time this spring but will likely be limited for precautionary reasons as he wants to make sure his shoulder is truly ready to go for his final high school season. He is looking to become more explosive and put on some more weight for his senior season. Right now, he’s at 178 pounds and aiming to 190 soon.
Georgia and Florida have some of the best high school football talent in the country. Friday has had a chance to play in the Georgia scene and has also got a glimpse of what Florida is about through his time on the 7 on 7 circuit with Florida Fire. I had to get his thoughts on how the competition compares.
“These Florida boys’ fast man. Receivers down here definitely got the edge on the Georgia dudes. Them Georgia boys got the size though. They’re much bigger in Georgia,” answered Friday.
As I mentioned earlier, Friday caught the attention of Power 5 schools very early on. It seemed like things had lost a little bit of steam over time though. Miles says that’s not the case, and many schools have still maintained interest.
“Not really quieted down. It’s just that schools that originally offered me were all Power 5 schools, so the other smaller schools weren’t really going to recruit me unless I showed interest first. Every school that offered me still talks to me, but there is some that recruit me harder than others. There’s some that actually recruit me, and then there’s some that just text me and say, ‘hey how are you doing?’ every now and then.”
As for the schools that contact him the most, here’s what Miles said:
“Florida State, Tennessee, Penn State, Louisville, Oregon, Kentucky and then I don’t know what happened but Georgia and Georgia Tech have been texting me every day since I won MVP. I am going to narrow it down by the summer time. I am trying to make my decision before the season. I want to go into the season focused on the team.”
Miles plans to take trips to FSU on the 6th, Florida on 13th, trying to get an official to Oregon in the summer.
I asked Miles what the determining factors are that would help make his final decision, and he gave one of the more unique answers that I have ever received. The answers I usually get are things like the position coach, the staff, the campus, etc. But for Friday, he had his mind on other things.
“The strength coach and actually the opposite coaches like the LB’s and DB coaches. I want to make sure the LB and DB coaches are good because I want to go against the best every day in practice because ultimately my goal is to get to the NFL. And of course, my mom. It has to be good for my mom. She has to see the same thing I am seeing,” says Friday. “Oh, I can’t forget the cafeteria. I definitely need a good cafeteria. The food can’t be nasty. I’ve got to be able to eat good.”
I’ve never heard someone mention the opposite position coaches. This just shows that Miles Friday is not a surface level thinker, and that he truly does care about competing against the best. I’ve also never had anyone mention the cafeteria. Miles rides his own wave. Outside of football, Friday seems like an energetic personality and a thoughtful young man.
As for the Canes, Miles said, “They told me I need to come visit. I am going to get up there, so they can talk to me and my mom. When they were recruiting me the first time, it was through coach (Thomas) Brown. I guess they got a whole new offensive staff, but I am familiar with Coach Enos from when he was at Bama. I just need to get up there and talk to them.”
Miles is an explosive back that can make defenders look down right foolish in the open field. His short area quickness is elite. He also appears to be a good receiver out of the backfield. Running between the tackles and overall physicality are some areas for improvement for him. He can score from anywhere on the field and could also be a factor in the return game. The word playmaker is thrown around very loosely, but I think Friday is exactly that. Just give him the rock in space and see what he does with it. On top of that, in my short time with Miles, it's clear how hungry he is to win. Miles Friday was a huge addition for Cardinal Gibbons and will be a huge addition for whatever school lands him at the next level.
NOTE: Friday named his top 5 today on Twitter- Georgia Tech, FSU, Penn State, Kentucky and Tennessee
I saw Miles earlier in the year at the Miami Opening, and he shined in the RB/LB drills with his ability to put together a series of creative moves to evade defenders. He followed up that showing with an impressive day at the Atlanta Opening, which ended with him being named MVP of the RB group.
“When I went to the other one in Miami, they didn’t know I was coming. I was down for both of them, and I was already in town in Atlanta, so I just decided to go. I didn’t do any testing or anything I just did the drills,” said Friday on his two appearances at Nike’s The Opening.
Miles did more than just show up in Atlanta. He showed out. I am sure many of the LB's wish he didn't show up after he put a number of them on skates during the competition drills.
The Georgia native began his high school career at Peachtree Ridge in Gwinnett county and had some eye-popping plays in his sophomore campaign which helped garner attention from a handful of Power 5 schools. Prior to his junior year, Friday decided to transfer to another Georgia powerhouse, Stephenson, but his season was cut short due to a couple of different factors.
“I was at Stephenson. I only got to play 5 games. I had to miss the first 4 games because of the transfer rule in Georgia. The approval process started really late, so I was finally able to get back on the field after the first bye week. I played the 5th game of the season, and we won the rest of our games going into the playoffs,” said Friday.
Once Friday finally got back into the groove of playing with a new team, and Stephenson was set to make a playoff run, he was injured in practice.
“The first week of playoffs, during practice, I tore my rotator cuff blocking during 11 on 11 drills. I missed the first playoff game and tried to come back the next week but ended up injuring it again. Once, I found out it was torn I stayed out. I thought it was just a sprain at first,” Friday explained.
Miles has since had minor surgery to repair the tear, and says he is back to lifting weights and feels 100%. He is now at Cardinal Gibbons and eager to win a state title ring. He mentioned bringing home a ring at least four times during our short conversation. While he is certainly a big time talent and a huge addition to Gibbons, it’s not always easy to be the new guy in the locker room. I asked Friday on what it is like to have to prove himself to a whole new group of guys all over again for his senior year.
“It’s not really about proving myself to them. I am just going to go out and try to get better. Get better with them every day. Stay with my team and make sure I am always around. Doing the things to be a leader. I just want to make sure I continue to show my face and lead by example. So it isn’t really about proving myself. I just feel like if I lead by example. They’ll follow. They’ll see my work ethic. They’ll see it.”
Gibbons lost some major talent on offense last year in Nik Scalzo and Vincent Davis. Friday will certainly help fill that void. “They got a really good tradition going. They just won state last year. I’m just trying to help them get another one,” Friday added.
Miles thought about moving down to Cardinal Gibbons prior to last season. It just didn’t quite work out but was able to create a connection with some former Chiefs. “I knew some of the seniors from the 2019 class. Khris (Bogle) was my dude. I was originally supposed to come down here to Cardinal Gibbons last year, but I decided to stay in Georgia for one more year because it was kind of late and I wasn’t sure if it was going to work out. So I talked to Khris a lot, the past running back Vincent (Davis) and just a lot of other guys form 2019 class. Mostly Khris though because I told him I needed that #7. He said I got to live out the legacy.”
Miles is excited to dawn the #7 for Gibbons next year and plans to do the number its justice. As for his new teammates and current Chiefs, Friday has already begun working on building that chemistry. “Definitely Tajae (Davis). He’s another running back. Bigger thicker running back. I’ve been talking to him a lot. He’s helping me learn the playbook and the signals. Also, the 2021 receiver Troy (Stellato) I think can be really good, so I have been talking with him and giving him some tips from my game that can help his game,” said Friday in response to my question about which guys have helped him get comfortable to his new team.
He’s also made it a point to connect with his new QB Brody Palheygi. Brody was one of the more intriguing stories in south Florida last season, as he filled in for the injured Nik Scalzo and helped lead the team through the playoffs and ultimately a state title. “He’s real good. He’s a funny guy. He’s got a cannon too. He knows what he’s doing too. He can read the field really good,” answered Friday when I asked what he thought of Brody’s game.
Friday will hit the field in a Chiefs uniform for the first time this spring but will likely be limited for precautionary reasons as he wants to make sure his shoulder is truly ready to go for his final high school season. He is looking to become more explosive and put on some more weight for his senior season. Right now, he’s at 178 pounds and aiming to 190 soon.
Georgia and Florida have some of the best high school football talent in the country. Friday has had a chance to play in the Georgia scene and has also got a glimpse of what Florida is about through his time on the 7 on 7 circuit with Florida Fire. I had to get his thoughts on how the competition compares.
“These Florida boys’ fast man. Receivers down here definitely got the edge on the Georgia dudes. Them Georgia boys got the size though. They’re much bigger in Georgia,” answered Friday.
As I mentioned earlier, Friday caught the attention of Power 5 schools very early on. It seemed like things had lost a little bit of steam over time though. Miles says that’s not the case, and many schools have still maintained interest.
“Not really quieted down. It’s just that schools that originally offered me were all Power 5 schools, so the other smaller schools weren’t really going to recruit me unless I showed interest first. Every school that offered me still talks to me, but there is some that recruit me harder than others. There’s some that actually recruit me, and then there’s some that just text me and say, ‘hey how are you doing?’ every now and then.”
As for the schools that contact him the most, here’s what Miles said:
“Florida State, Tennessee, Penn State, Louisville, Oregon, Kentucky and then I don’t know what happened but Georgia and Georgia Tech have been texting me every day since I won MVP. I am going to narrow it down by the summer time. I am trying to make my decision before the season. I want to go into the season focused on the team.”
Miles plans to take trips to FSU on the 6th, Florida on 13th, trying to get an official to Oregon in the summer.
I asked Miles what the determining factors are that would help make his final decision, and he gave one of the more unique answers that I have ever received. The answers I usually get are things like the position coach, the staff, the campus, etc. But for Friday, he had his mind on other things.
“The strength coach and actually the opposite coaches like the LB’s and DB coaches. I want to make sure the LB and DB coaches are good because I want to go against the best every day in practice because ultimately my goal is to get to the NFL. And of course, my mom. It has to be good for my mom. She has to see the same thing I am seeing,” says Friday. “Oh, I can’t forget the cafeteria. I definitely need a good cafeteria. The food can’t be nasty. I’ve got to be able to eat good.”
I’ve never heard someone mention the opposite position coaches. This just shows that Miles Friday is not a surface level thinker, and that he truly does care about competing against the best. I’ve also never had anyone mention the cafeteria. Miles rides his own wave. Outside of football, Friday seems like an energetic personality and a thoughtful young man.
As for the Canes, Miles said, “They told me I need to come visit. I am going to get up there, so they can talk to me and my mom. When they were recruiting me the first time, it was through coach (Thomas) Brown. I guess they got a whole new offensive staff, but I am familiar with Coach Enos from when he was at Bama. I just need to get up there and talk to them.”
Miles is an explosive back that can make defenders look down right foolish in the open field. His short area quickness is elite. He also appears to be a good receiver out of the backfield. Running between the tackles and overall physicality are some areas for improvement for him. He can score from anywhere on the field and could also be a factor in the return game. The word playmaker is thrown around very loosely, but I think Friday is exactly that. Just give him the rock in space and see what he does with it. On top of that, in my short time with Miles, it's clear how hungry he is to win. Miles Friday was a huge addition for Cardinal Gibbons and will be a huge addition for whatever school lands him at the next level.
NOTE: Friday named his top 5 today on Twitter- Georgia Tech, FSU, Penn State, Kentucky and Tennessee
