Terrill signs with Miami University to continue football career

Feb. 3—LEBANON — During his time at Lebanon, Drew Terrill has made an impact in everything that he has taken a part of.

A leader in three different sports, Terrill is best known for his skills on the football field, where he was a standout on the offensive and defensive lines — helping the Tigers reach two sectional title games.

His hard work and dedication to the sport has earned him the opportunity to continue his playing career at the next level.

Terrill signed with Miami University on Wednesday morning, and will join the RedHawks in the fall.

"It feels awesome to make it official," Terrill said at a signing celebration Wednesday night. "It's where I wanted to go since I started talking to them. As soon as they officially offered, I knew that is where I was going to go."

Miami is located in Oxford, Ohio and plays in the MAC.

The RedHawks finished this season 7-6 under head coach Chuck Martin, and won the Frisco Football Classic at the end of the year.

Terrill said it was the people on the football staff and campus that stood out to him.

"I had been to some of their camps, and took an unofficial there early, and they were really hospitable and nice," Terrill said. "They were the kind of people that I definitely wanted to be around."

Terrill is the sixth member of his extended family to sign with a high level college program.

His father, Jason, went to Ball State to play football. His uncles Troy (basketball at Ball State and IUPUI) and Craig (football at Purdue) also played at the next level.

More recently, his cousins Luke (football at Western Illinois) and Ashlyn (track and field at UIndy) moved on to the next level.

Drew said having that family support made the whole process a lot easier.

"It was really awesome to have them supporting me through it," Terrill said. "It is always fun to hear about who people know in my family and getting to know them too."

Terrill was a two-time first-team all-conference selection and a two-time first-team all-state selection at Lebanon.

He will focus on offensive line at Miami, and this past year the Tigers rushed for more than 145 yards a game and 23 touchdowns. The last two years, the Tigers rushed for more than 3,000 yards — and that included two missed games due to Covid last year.

"They see me playing offensive tackle, so I know I need to put on a little weight," Terrill said. "But once I get that weight on, the coaches really liked my speed and athleticism. They liked my ability to move quickly."

Terrill is excited to see how much he can improve when just focusing on offense.

At Lebanon, he was needed to play defensive line as well. He led the team this year with six sacks and nine tackles for a loss.

"I love playing defense, but it will be nice not being on the field the whole time," Terrill said. "I'll be able to take a little break and I think that can help me."

Other than putting on weight and getting stronger, Terrill said there is nothing specific he is focused on this spring, but can't wait to get with the coaches at Miami to improve his craft.

In the meantime, he still has a basketball season to finish and a track season this spring.

Terrill came out for basketball his junior year, and has continued to get better. He is averaging 7.8 points and 5.3 rebounds for the Tigers, and has helped them win a share of the Sagamore Conference title.

He said he wants to end his Lebanon athletic career with some high notes.

"There have been some losses that we want back, but the whole season has been awesome," Terrill said. "I'm just happy I came out last year, and then continued it this year."

As his time at Lebanon comes to a close, Terrill said that when he looks back at his time as a Tiger, it is going to be all the people that he remembers the most.

A large crowd came out to celebrate with him on Wednesday, and it just reaffirmed his impact on the community.

"It's the people that I have been around that I will remember," Terrill said. "Whether it is the basketball staff and team now, or the football coaches and players — everyone's been awesome. Even this basketball season, I had to miss a few games for recruiting visits, and they were totally understanding and just want the best for you. So it's mainly the people her and how helpful there are."

Terrill plans on studying either business administration or sports management at Miami.

Will Willems is the Sports Editor of the Lebanon Reporter. Follow him on Twitter @Will_Willems.