By Trevor Enerson (yaman3), CycloneFanatic.com football recruiting guru
What he is: According to his Rivals.com profile, Miller is a 6-foot-2, 225-pound linebacker. They have a lot of information on him and given the amount, I am led to believe that it has been reported from actual timing and measurements. They say that Miller ran a 4.63 40 at an Iowa State camp. They also list him benching 315-pounds and squatting 500. Both of those are also very good for his size. The number there that excites me is his 32-inch vertical. If all of these numbers are accurate, that’s a very good combination of numbers for a kid from small town Iowa who likely hasn’t had all the luxuries in development a lot of prospects have had. He also enrolled early so he has that going for him.
What he does: He tackles and does it a lot. During his junior year, Miller had 127 tackles in 11 games. Twenty of those tackles were for a loss. Good numbers. Linebacker is one of those spots where a player can impress when maybe the team isn’t as talented but keep in mind that he played beside a pretty solid high school linebacker in Kyle Hawkins as well. There are only so many tackles to go around at the second level and Miller was getting his share, which is a good sign.
Strengths/Weaknesses: I think Miller has the type of athleticism it will take to be successful at the Big 12 level. You can look at his measurables and see he is a well-rounded athlete. In his video, he has a nose for the ball and does well at shedding blocks. With limited video, weaknesses are hard to find. I think there is some question as to whether he will play defensive end or linebacker and there could possibly be some lag in terms of development as that is sorted out.
What’s in store: The first thing that will have to be done is deciding where he will play. There have been comments that he could possibly be developed into a defensive end, which I still think is possible. I think he has the frame and certainly the athleticism to do that. Since Kyle Boyd switched his commitment to Baylor, however, that leaves Iowa State with fewer options at the linebacker position. Right now, Miller has started working at linebacker according to Coach Courtney Messingham and I think he will end up staying there. With Miller enrolling early, I don’t think we will see him redshirt. He will be very useful on special teams in his freshman year and will likely see some time in the rotation by his sophomore year. Look for him to be pushing hard for a starting spot when A.J. Klein and Jake Knott graduate, if not before. Typically, I would be a little hesitant to put him the lineup like this but I have seen what this staff has done with guys like Knott and Klein, who I think are very similar in skill set.
He looks to me like: Jake Knott or A.J. Klein. Take your pick. He built very much like them and I just see him growing to be a very solid linebacker as both of them are. This could be the start to a good line of linebackers at ISU.
