Omarion Miller elevated abruptly, gliding another 5 yards and contorting his body backward for an under-thrown opportunity to make his late grandfather's dream a reality.

The 6-foot-2, 198-pound athlete plucked the football from the air just over the outstretched hands of one of Louisiana's top cornerback prospects in his 2023 recruiting class.

Just another reception to the mild-mannered, multi-sport North Caddo standout with an almost-trademark penchant for exactly that style of above-the-rim acrobatics.

"Yeah, that was a catch that I really just do on a daily basis," he admitted — not boastfully, but matter-of-factly.

Only, this time, about 20 yards away, LSU coach Ed Orgeron and wide receivers coach Mickey Joseph were among the chorus of jaw-dropped ooh's and ahh's.

And within a matter of a minute, Miller received a scholarship offer from the same Tigers he had watched on television with his family as a child.

"It came quick," he emphasized, almost still in disbelief. "As soon as I got back toward the line, Coach O pulled me to the side to talk and said he wanted to offer me... It didn't even feel real in the moment.

"I was surprised, but I wasn't showing it, because I didn't even know what to do at that point."

Not even the meteoric rise of Miller's recruiting star this spring had fully prepared him for the whirlwind in Baton Rouge earlier this month.

He hadn't even really considered himself a football player five months earlier.

At least not so much as a basketball player whose athleticism lent itself to pass-catching in the hoops offseason.

"He always had played football since he was probably 3, but football never really was his dream," mother Eddrener Long said. "He was always more of a basketball freak. We always thought it would be basketball — not football."

That mindset is common in Vivian.

The small town of about 3,500 residents 30 miles northwest of Shreveport — just a few miles from the Texas-Arkansas corner of Louisiana — has historically held more of a tradition in the gym than on the field.

Boston Celtics center Robert Williams is the most prominent athlete out of North Caddo in recent years, leading the then-Rebels to three straight semifinal appearances before signing with Texas A&M in 2016 and being drafted to the NBA two years later.

Williams' younger teammate, Tymon Sanders, was a local standout in both sports before briefly joining the Louisiana College football program in 2018.

"He was a really, really good high school player, and that would be who the local kids would model themselves after now," offensive coordinator Reagan Smith said. "Other than that, man, as far as I'm aware, oddly enough, Phil Robertson from 'Duck Dynasty' would probably be the biggest name."

The professional hunter-turned-reality star went on to start ahead of eventual Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Terry Bradshaw at Louisiana Tech in 1966 and 1967 before deciding to leave the sport.

Fullback Chuck Dupree was a Northwestern State teammate of Orgeron in the early 1980s.

And Miller's uncle, Bo Long, also briefly played college football at Grambling State.

But few athletes have reached college football rosters, and fewer have lasted.

"Why don't recruiters recruit this area?" local trainer and coach Devin Washington, a Vivian native and North Caddo alumnus, once asked longtime college coach John Simon, who played at Louisiana Tech from 1998 to 2001 and in the NFL from 2002 to 2004.

"And he said, 'I'm gonna be honest with you. One of the reasons is there's not that many people in the area, and there's not a lot of really, really good kids to drive all the way to this area to recruit, when we can hit south Louisiana and visit five or six schools that have the type of player we want. And it's not that we don't want to come here. It's just that we can hit 10 schools in other areas versus just one in this small area.'

"So you've got to really have a big name in this area to make it to that level."

Eddrener Long's father, Dexter Long Sr., always thought his grandson had the special type of talent to earn that rare opportunity.

"He's always dealt with the children," she said. "That's why O's always been so involved in sports, because my dad pushed him to play sports. And no matter what sports, he was playing it."

"Big D" served as the community's little league director for more than two decades and founded Vivian's successful Biddy Ball youth basketball program.

And grandsons Omarion and Kelvin "K.J." Black became star pupils at an early age.

When they lost each of their fathers — Kevin Sheppard in a shooting in 2011 and Otis Miller in a car accident in 2018 — "Big D" was there to fill a bigger role to help support the boys.

"This was really the first year he took a step back," Washington said. "He said, 'I wanna focus a little on me. I wanna be around for my grandkids, my family.' He had had a couple of strokes where he wasn't walking too good. But, man, he coached little league with everything he had. He could barely move sometimes, but you'd better believe he'd be at those games."

That background and passion continued to lend themselves to sports playing an increasing prominent role in his grandsons' lives.

"He's been with the little league football and basketball since I was a kid," Washington said. "So those kids have always played football. And their grandfather actually always said both of them were football players — which K.J. was, but O still leaned more toward basketball.

"You couldn't tell him he was a football player. He wasn't hearing it."

Opening Miller's eyes to his potential in that sport became an unofficial group project that ultimately took a global pandemic to complete.

Miller missed most of his freshman football season with a sprained wrist.

He returned for the season finale and promptly racked up about 100 yards on jail-break screen plays.

"We didn't even know what we had," Smith said. "We hadn't seen him all season. He's a freshman. We were playing a team that having a really tough year. And he did go off. He did have a really, really good game. But we just hadn't identified it yet."

Smith knew he, coach JJ Kavanaugh and company had a talented high school athlete on their hands, but hadn't yet fully realized the ceiling.

"I guess you're always gonna feel in hindsight like you missed it a little bit," he laughed. "But as far as him being a four- or five-star kid, that was not what I was seeing at that point. Now that summer, I started to see it."

The COVID-19 pandemic brought the typical sports calendar — and, in many ways, the world — to a screeching halt just after Louisiana's high school basketball season.

And without the typical AAU schedule that summer, Miller's mother and grandfather gave him a further nudge toward football workouts to stay active.

"(His mother) text me his number, and I texted, but he never texted back," Washington said. "Coach (Brian) Shyne, which was the basketball coach that he traveled the world with for AAU — Coach Shyne texted and said, 'Let me know what I need to pay. I'm gonna pay for O.'

"And I said, 'Hey, coach, O hasn't shown up for a session yet.' He said, 'Don't worry about it. I'm gonna call him right now. I think he's stuck on basketball, but he's gonna play football.' "

Miller reluctantly joined Washington's offseason workouts.

And the big picture slowly began coming into focus.

"You could tell he was talented, but he didn't know how special he was. Everyone would tell him, 'Hey, O, you're a football player.' 'Nah, man, I play basketball. I play basketball.'

Smith meanwhile began to notice an uncanny resemblance to another budding superstar he'd coached just a couple years earlier at Parkway High School in Bossier.

"After they released us to work out, post COVID lockdown, we started running routes on air and then some small routes against each other in small groups and stuff like that," he said. "And he just catches everything. I mean, he may have gone weeks without missing a football. And that's really weird. Like, real unusual. That doesn't happen ever, with anyone.

"And I started telling (Kavanaugh), 'He's real good. Like Terrace Marshall (Jr.) good."

The 6-foot-4, 186-pound receiver had developed into one of the nation's top-ranked recruits at any position before signing with LSU in 2018.

Marshall was now fresh off a breakout sophomore season in the Tigers' record-setting offense en route to an undefeated national championship.

And the more closely Smith looked at Miller, the more similarities he saw.

"I even took a video from Terrace running a route when he was with me and made it kind of translucent and you could see them both run the route on top of each other a little bit," the coach said. "And it was really similar, just in their body movement. But I don't think anybody was ready to believe it yet, because really how likely is that?

"But at that point, I'm really thinking, 'Man, I really think he's that good.'"

Edrenner always believed her father's assessment that her son could be a great football player.

She just didn't know that the sport would ever divert enough attention from basketball to reach that potential.

"But then he started to get the attention and was doing good," she said. "And he really started giving his all into football."

Miller racked up 807 yards and eight touchdowns in just eight games to earn all-state recognition as a sophomore.

"He showed flashes where if you put the ball in his hand, he was just going to make a play," Washington said. "It was to a point where, hell, every play we call, you're thinking, 'Just give it to O.'"

The entire family contracted COVID-19 following Thanksgiving, just as football season was ending in early December.

"I had talked to Big D on Wednesday, and his wife had just gotten sick," Washington said. "And I called on Friday, and K.J. and O were there at their house. So I just said, 'Hey, Big D, I just wanna make sure you know the protocol."

Big D told Washington he was starting to feel poorly, as well, and began self-quarantining.

The disappointed young athletes were forced to sit out the Titans' first-round playoff game, because of contact-tracing.

But greater concerns raised as their grandfather's condition worsened.

"That was the last time I talked to him," Washington said.

Big D passed away Wednesday, Dec. 16, just four days before Omarion's 16th birthday.

"With the COVID protocols and everything, nobody could go see him," Smith said. "It was all cell phones and things like that. And unless you go through that, it's hard to wrap your mind around your relative fighting for their life and not being able to see them and be there with them."

The community has tried to help provide as much support as possible to Eddrener, Omarion, 14-year-old sister Shamauri and 7-year-old brother Kemarion, K.J. and their cousins and the rest of the family.

"We all have kind of come together to try to help partially fill that void," Smith said. "There's no way that we could come close to what Dexter did and meant. It's impossible. But just in the best way that we can, we've tried to be the best support structure that we can be."

The coaches have seen young student-athletes discouraged and derailed by less than the tragic circumstances of the past three years.

Omarion hasn't shown or talked much about his emotions.

He's never been all that talkative to begin with.

"I hate the connotation I have of the word 'stoic,' but there's a maturity there in the sense that he's a man of few words, but the words he does say matter," Smith said. "O doesn't say a lot. But when he says a lot, there's generally something to it."

What he has expressed is a sharpened focus and determination the losses have seemed to breathe into him.

"I carry that chip on my shoulder, and I play with it," he said. "I really push myself, because I feel like it's something I've got to do."

Added Eddrener: "He'll say, 'I'm doing this for my paw-paw. This is for paw-paw. Ever since my daddy passed, it's seemed like he's been really at it, because he knows that's what he really wanted for him and expected of him and always stayed on him to achieve."

Now, instead of coaches trying to convince him to give football more serious consideration in his free time, Miller is prioritizing the sport and seeking out additional training sessions at every turn.

"A lot has gone on for that family, and I think this is what's gonna take care of his family," Washington said. "And I think he's realized that this is what his grandfather wanted him to do and that he wanted to do it. The whole family, I just think this gives them peace at heart in knowing that Big D already saw this."

"He just wanted to be here for it. I'll never forget (Big D's) words. He said, 'Devin, I hope I'm here to see O make it to the next level.' He said, 'He's a very special kid, and I stay on him as hard as I can.' And he's not going to show a lot of emotions. That's just O. He's not gonna get real into it or say too much. But I know for a fact, deep down inside, he's all about making his family proud."

Despite his sophomore accolades, Miller remained largely under the radar into the first weeks of 2021.

Smith sent his highlights and information to as many college coaches and recruiting analysts as he could.

And, in a span of a few days in mid-January, the dominos began to fall into place.

"O was literally in a basketball game, and I got a call from Mark Miller," Washington said. "He called me because we were working with the (Louisiana) Bootleggers North team, and he said, 'I need you to get in touch with Omarion Miller.'"

Washington spoke with Eddrener and began the conversation of Omarion joining the well-known travel 7-on-7 organization.

Smith meanwhile connected with Mississippi State recruiting specialist Mason Smith, an Alexandria native.

And the Bulldogs extended Omarion's first scholarship offer January 17.

"I think he really, really enjoyed football this season as far as being successful and making plays," Reagan Smith said. "And I think that just opened his eyes to him saying, 'I'm having fun doing this, and I'm able to do it pretty well. And once the offers started happening, it was just a blur for him and for us."

Miami, Louisiana Tech and ULM followed during the next week and a half, and West Virginia and Arkansas eventually joined that list later in the spring.

"To go from no offers and no expectations to an SEC offer and a Miami offer and a Louisiana Tech offer in the blink of an eye," the coach continued. "I think was like, 'Wow. Maybe this is the path for me."

The young pass-catcher was meanwhile blossoming into a full-blown star on the 7-on-7 circuit.

"It's crazy how he just came on the team and just started making plays right away," said Acadiana cornerback Laterrance Welch, a 2022 LSU commitment. "Some guys join the team and might not do much their first couple of weekends, but he came in and was making plays easily every game. And we had a tournament in Mississippi, and, man, he was cutting up out there."

Omarion drew comparisons to Marshall and record-setting LSU receiver Ja'Marr Chase.

And Welch compared his new teammate's ability to make plays on balls in the air to 2021 Tigers signees Chris Hilton Jr. of Zachary and Malik Nabers of Southside.

"He's a freaky athlete," Welch said. "It's hard for corners to guard him because you never know what he might do. On back-shoulder passes and jump-balls and fades and things like that, it's tough."

Omarion credits his background rebounding basketballs for his prowess for out-leaping and out-maneuvering defenders for passes.

"He has an uncanny ability to high-point the football," Reagan Smith said. "And I know we talk about that a lot, but he's by far the best high-point football-catcher I've ever seen, including guys I've coached and guys that I've coached against."

In addition to Marshall, Reagan Smith worked with Paul Turner (West Monroe, LSU, Louisiana Tech, NFL), Xavier Woods (West Monroe, Louisiana Tech, NFL) Trent Taylor (Evangel, Louisiana Tech, NFL), Jared Cornelius (Evangel, Arkansas) and John Stephens Jr. (Logansport, TCU, Louisiana-Lafayette).

He's also coached against Tyrann Mathieu (St. Augustine, LSU, NFL), Trey Quinn (Barbe, LSU, SMU, NFL), Shyheim Carter (Kentwood, Alabama, NFL) and DeColdest Crawford (Green Oaks) among others.

"I've just not seen anyone better at it," Reagan Smith said. "His ability to triangulate and time his jump, there's something different happening there that doesn't happen to almost anyone."

But the coach is quick to point out the athleticism and fluidity of motion in all aspects of his game, as well.

"Terrace as a senior probably had more burst, more foot in the ground and disappear with straight-line explosiveness," he said. "But Omarion is far more fluid. Omarion, in my estimation, is a much better short space player. And he can still go do the downfield stuff."

LSU's current star receiver, Kayshon Boutte, watched on impressed as Omarion crisply cut his way all over the offensive half of the indoor field.

"Man, you're running routes like me," exclaimed the second-year player, who followed Marshall's late-season declaration for the NFL Draft with an SEC record-setting 308-yard performance in the finale.

But the opportunity hadn't presented itself for the highlight material to which Omarion and those close to him had grown accustomed.

And his window — at least in this session — appeared to be closing.

"He had just gone," Reagan Smith said. "There was under two minutes left, and he had just had a rep, you know. And I'm thinking he's done, he's not gonna go again. So that got my attention off of it for a second. And then it happens, and I turn and see most of what happens."

Omarion got back to the line of scrimmage and did what he does best.

"Initially, it was supposed to be a go, but he kind of under-threw it," he said. "And, in my head, I'm knowing I had to make some type of highlight play, because I really hadn't yet. So, when I saw I had to come back, I just jumped and went up and got it and just heard all the ooh's and ahh's."

More than 1,000 people were overflowing the Tigers' indoor practice facility on a rainy day for the program's first skills camp of its kind in nearly two years because of the COVID-19 pandemic shut down of the 2020 offseason.

And Orgeron and Joseph had pulled Omarion aside before the buzz the catch generated had even finished echoing off the walls.

"As soon as the ball went up and I saw him jump, I said, 'Uh oh,'" Welch laughed. "And he caught it, and my mouth just dropped. And I said, 'Offer that man!' I said, 'Coach O's gotta offer that man!'"

The morning session broke for lunch just a minute or two later.

And Reagan Smith and Mason Smith, whom had been hired away from Mississippi State just weeks earlier, crossed paths in the ensuing mix-and-mingle before either could find Omarion.

"I'm down in the end zone on the same end, and Mason Smith runs up to me and jokes, 'So you're not gonna let me be there when they offer him!?" Reagan Smith recounted. "And I had no idea. I was like, 'Huh!? They offered him!?'

"And he said, "Yeah, he made that catch, and they offered him!"

The coach had never seen an offer extended mid-drill.

"The catch wasn't surprising," he said. "But the rapid nature of the events after that was surprising. I'm not shocked that he got offered. I'm shocked that he got offered in basically 66.4 seconds... No matter how long you do the recruiting thing, something different happens."

Joseph and offensive analyst Carter Sheridan had monitored and communicated with Omarion throughout the spring.

But the camp was the first time any of the Tigers' coaches would see him in person.

"They had told me just be myself," Omarion said. "That I'd get the offer if I just be myself."

Showcasing the high-flying expectations he had made such a norm took some time.

But, finally, a pass made its way into his impressive catch radius, and his natural talent and new-found drive and preparation took care of the rest.

"They've seen all this film and they've done all this eval, and they're just waiting for confirmation," Reagan Smith said. "It just seems like this one play, but that's what they were waiting on. They were waiting on that one play to confirm what they'd seen on tape."

More than that, though, the moment affirmed Omarion's grandfather's hopes for him and their and so many other family and friends' efforts to pursue that goal.

And the fact that even the most elite college football paths can and should be possible for young North Caddo athletes.

"There's kind of an electricity in the community," Reagan Smith said. "Everyone is really happy and proud of their community. You could tell it meant something. There's some validation in that. Everybody feels like, 'Our guy is good,' and for that to be recognized — and recognized at that level — matters."

Edrenner and Omarion said every interaction around town has been congratulatory and celebratory.

One Vivian resident after another has beamed about the idea of one of their own to be invited to represent his family, his community and his state in Tiger Stadium on Saturdays in the fall.

"Every time I run into somebody, they say, 'That purple and gold'll look good on you!,'" said the quiet young athlete, almost embarrassed by the attention. "I'm like, 'Oh my God.' But it's rare where I'm from to get this type of opportunity, so when the opportunity comes, everybody's happy."

LSU coaches were so certain in what they had seen that they even encouraged Omarion to verbally commit the day of the catch and the offer.

But Omarion wanted to return home and continue to discuss and weigh his options with his mother.

The earliest he could officially sign with any college program would be December 2022.

"With her, she doesn't really know about sports, but she just always tells me to go where my heart's at," he said. "As long as you can get your education, that's all she's worried about. She doesn't care which school it is, she's always 100% behind me."

Omarion admitted the opportunity to play for home-state LSU is "definitely significant."

"I mean, it was one of my dreams growing up," he said, although he had always pictured basketball, if at all. "Me and my family, we love LSU. That's all we watched growing up."

Omarion himself wouldn't have believed just a few short months ago that the path would unfold through football the way it has.

But once he was able to see the vision his grandfather always had, not even the most painful hurdles could slow him down.

If anything, they only reinforced the mission that has continued to grow clearer with every step, leap and catch.

"And just to see him what he's done since he's gotten this opportunity is amazing," Washington said. "His mom is proud. The whole community is proud. Because, like I said, nobody's every gotten an offer from LSU in Vivian. Nobody. Ever. Nobody's ever gotten an offer from Miami. Nobody. And I think it literally has changed his game."

Said Omarion: "Really, my life's changed ... I couldn't imagine. It's just a blessing."