Isaiah McMillan has always been one to look at a situation from all the different angles before making a decision. He wants to be sure about what he’s doing.
McMillan, the talented multi-sport star at Cumberland County High School, used that same approach when choosing which college he wanted to attend.
After multiple offers, McMillan has signed a national letter of intent to run track and field next year at East Tennessee State University in Johnson City.
“One of the main reasons I am going to ETSU is because of their dental hygiene major, and that’s what I’m majoring in as of right now,” said McMillan, the son of Angela Gonzalez. “At a lot of the other schools offering me a chance, I would have had to go into the nursing field and expand from there. I didn’t want to do that.
“The coaches and the team played a role, too. I loved the campus when I went to visit, and the size of the school is good. I didn’t really want to go to a small school. ETSU is a medium sized school.”
McMillan came to Cumberland County from Toledo, Ohio when he was 14 years old. He immediately became involved in the school’s track and field program. He also played soccer and football.
“Recruiting for college, I would say, was actually pretty fun,” McMillan said. “During the first few months I started the recruiting process, a lot of coaches were calling and texting me.
“However, I was looking mainly for schools in Tennessee. I couldn’t really afford to pay for an out of state school, so I didn’t really even visit any of those.”
Though he had options to possibly play other sports in college, McMillan centered his recruiting around track and field.
“A couple of people want me to try and play football at ETSU,” said McMillan. “I don’t know how I feel about it. If I had the shot, I would probably try it out.”
McMillan’s final selection came down between East Tennessee State University, Lee University and King University.
The East Tennessee State University Buccaneers have a strong track and field program and are usually annual contenders in the Southern Conference.
McMillan had a lot of success at CCHS and represented Cumberland County at the 2026 Tennessee State Championship. He finished fifth in the 110 hurdles with a time of 15.46 seconds. The winning time in the hurdles this year at the Southern Conference Championships was 13.42.
Taking the next step in his journey has McMillan excited, but also a little anxious. He’s having to say good-bye to the only thing he’s known for the last four years.
“I am going to remember all the people at Cumberland County High School. Along with my mom, they all played a huge part in me succeeding at CCHS,” McMillan said. “I couldn’t have done it without them.”