CHARLOTTE — It was August 2024, and as Panthers scout Caden McCloughan was leaving the University of Arizona, he immediately pulled out his phone and placed a call back to Charlotte.

"I just remember, I called (Panthers director of scouting) Jared (Kirksey) right after going into the school," McCloughan recalled this week, thinking back to that scouting trip that would shape the future of the Carolina Panthers.

It was McCloughan's first week on the road, kicking off four months of travel to numerous colleges to meet even more prospects. He'd spent all summer watching film of guys who were making a name for themselves in the college game, and this was an opportunity to see them in person, meet face-to-face, and, even more importantly, talk to those who worked with them every day.

The visit that day to the Arizona Wildcats program ignited a fire in the Panthers' West Coast scout, and he couldn't wait a moment to report back to the rest of the team in the Carolinas.

"As scouts, it's like the one thing we kind of have is our gut feeling on things," McCloughan admitted.

And he had a gut feeling about Tetairoa McMillan.

"I remember leaving the school for the first time, just being so excited about him."

During the Panthers' summer film session of prospects, McMillan had jumped off the tape. It was impossible for him not to, thanks to a sophomore season that, in the 13-game season, saw him pull in 90 receptions for 1,402 yards (fifth-most in FBS) and 10 touchdowns.

"We knew who he was and we really liked to watch him over the summer," McCloughan remembered. But plenty of guys can look good on tape and have the skills necessary for the field. The requisite college visits can reveal whether there is a chasm, if any, between the player on the field and the person in the locker room.

And to be frank, there are those who make the wrong sort of impression, focusing more on the scout visit than the reason they are there.

"That first week out on the road, I do the Southwest, so I have a pretty big area and I got to see a lot of good receivers that year and I remember that first week out, (TMac) was the only guy who practiced when I went, he wasn't looking for a day off or anything like that," said McCloughan.

"He was the only one, the big receiver that I saw that week that practiced, and was just, the way he practiced was what stood out to me too."

When Dan Morgan was named general manager, he identified a central belief that needed to be present in anyone they brought through the door, whether through the draft or free agency: they have to love playing football.

It sounds simple, a given even. Every player who has made it this far in the sport would have to love it, right?

"You'd be surprised," quipped Morgan during the Senior Bowl last season when the subject arose.

When McCloughan stood on the practice field that day in August, though, he saw a prospect who genuinely loved what he was doing.

"He would go hard, was really competitive, but then also, he was just having fun, like you could tell he was just genuinely having a blast out there," recalled McCloughan. "He was a big little kid, laughing, dancing, all of his teammates wanted to be around him; he just had a natural energy and presence to him that really stood out to me, and I thought that was super cool."

But there's a lot of time between August and April, and as McCloughan sat there in the car, reporting back to Kirksey what he'd learned in Tuscon, he knew there was still a long road ahead: hours of scouting still to do, draft boards to craft, a Panthers season to play that would determine draft order, and endless possibilities to consider.

"There have been many times, too, where you get excited about somebody, and then, by the time the draft comes, you're not even in a position where you have a chance to get them," lamented McCloughan.

As the season progressed, though, the path kept unfurling to bring McMillan to Charlotte. He finished his career at Arizona with another 1,000-plus yard season, helping him set the record for most career yards in program history. On the East Coast, the Panthers wrapped up the 2024 season and prepared for the draft with the No. 8 overall pick.

So many in the outside world thought the club would go defense with the Top 10 pick. In the building, though, it was always about one player: McMillan.

Even when the Los Angeles Rams, who were picking at No. 26, called to inquire about a trade (reports stated they were going to take McMillan at No. 8), Morgan was secretly hoping they would offer something he could refuse so they could still take the Arizona receiver.

"It's like if they want this, they're going to have to go above and beyond, kind of like what they did to us last year when they gave us the two," Morgan said at the time. "That's because I was convicted on our guy. I really don't want to lose this player. But if we are going to lose the player, and it's something that could potentially set us up for the future, if we get a load of picks out of them, then let's explore it.

"But I didn't really want to. I was kind of hoping that they would say no. So when they said no at the end, I was fine with it. I was actually like, 'Sweet.'"

As the Panthers made the call and McMillan sauntered onto the draft stage in Green Bay to hold up a Carolina jersey, McCloughan had to stop and remember it was all real.

"You always want to remember that gut feeling, though, and that first feeling and keep that tight as well throughout the process," McCloughan said. "On draft day, you're sitting there, you're waiting, what's going to happen. You don't know how it's going to unfold in front of you, and to see him there and get him in the building, you almost have to pinch yourself a little bit because it's like, man, a year ago, you're watching this guy at Arizona, now he's in a Panther uniform."

From the moment McMillan has been in a Panthers uniform, he's been everything Morgan, McCloughan, and the entire franchise hoped he'd be and more.

"I think we definitely envisioned what we got," offered Morgan this week while conducting his end-of-the-year press conference and summarizing McMillan's rookie season. "Otherwise, I don't think we would have drafted him at No. 8. So, he's done a great job. Just another guy that comes in, he works, attention to detail, and it shows out on the field on Sundays."

From his first game, McMillan displayed the skills that made him such an intriguing name during the draft. He led the Panthers in Week 1 with five receptions for 68 yards, and followed that up in Week 2 with six receptions for 100 yards.

It took a few weeks for the rookie to pull in his first touchdown, but he did so in a dominating fashion with two scores against the Cowboys in Week 6, scoring in front of his entire family, many of whom were attending their first game.

As the season progressed, even as teams began to tilt their defenses towards the rookie, coach Dave Canales was never shy about making McMillan the Panthers top guy.

"Our focal point is TMac," Canales told reporters in December. "We try to build for and try to get him into spots to get him the ball."

And he answered time and again with some games that were dominating performances (like Atlanta in Week 11) and others that saw a smaller stat line, but featured major impacts at crucial moments in the game (like the Rams in Week 13), and at least one play per matchup that left spectators simply wondering how he made it happen.

By season's end, McMillan had made his mark not only on the Panthers franchise but on the NFL as a whole. He set new franchise records in two categories, finished with league-best marks in multiple categories, and topped Pro Football Focus grades.

* Denotes Panthers franchise record for rookies. Also set franchise record for most explosive plays (27) by a rookie.

"The cool thing about TMac is just, everywhere he's gone, he's had expectations, and the moment's never been too big for him," bragged McCloughan and it was super cool this year and I think the reason why our whole building was confident to bring him in it's like, I mean, everywhere he's been, he's been successful.

"He was an easy guy to bet on."

The larger NFL viewing party agrees. At the end of the regular season, McMillan was a favorite to be named the Associated Press's offensive rookie of the year. Those finalists are typically announced around the end of January, and the winner awarded at NFL Honors, which will take place on Thursday, Feb. 5 this season.

"I certainly think he's made enough of an impact to be in the conversation," Canales said last month of the possibility. "Obviously, the individual goals, the individual things come with the success of a team, and I think TMac would see it the same way; it's all of us, it's the offensive line blocking, Bryce delivering the throws, the defense playing well.

"All those things tie in, and when you win, people get accolades. And so our goal should always be the group effort and all those other things, all the other recognition will come along with that."

McMillan concurred with his coach, telling reporters this past week that he'd still grade his rookie season as "average," and "I just feel like there's a lot more out there that could have been…I hold myself to a high standard."

That standard may be personally wrought, but it has served him well.

"Shoot, I mean, obviously, I think that's a testament to this team. Everybody knows that you can't win any individual awards without your team being good. So, obviously, us being good has allowed me to be in those talks. But whatever happens, happens."

What happens will happen. At this point, nothing on the field can be changed. But from the moment Caden McCloughan sat in his car a year and a half ago, excited about what could be, Tetairoa McMillan has risen to and exceeded expectations.

"TMac, he was him," bragged quarterback Bryce Young of his top receiver. "He was, he's exactly who he's been. He was elite; he's a special player.

"He'll be the offensive rookie of the year. I have all the confidence in the world, again, a special guy, stuff you can't teach, and all the stuff that you can, he's working super hard at, he's working to perfect it, and cares about the craft.

"Again, a special guy. I'm super grateful that he's on the team."