After missing most of the 2021 season with a torn biceps, Florida football linebacker Ventrell Miller faced some anxious moments after injuring his foot in the second game of the season against Kentucky.
“Definitely when I first felt it, I looked back at my last injury thinking it was going to be more serious than what it was,” Miller said. “I was hard on myself.”
But after sitting out one game against USF. Miller returned for UF’s fourth game of the season at Tennessee, forcing one fumble and recovering the other. He followed that up last week with eight tackles against Eastern Washington, including a fourth-down stop.
Miller will be counted on for more production and leadership on defense Saturday when the Gators (3-2, 0-2 SEC) host Missouri (2-3, 0-2 SEC) at The Swamp for Homecoming (noon, ESPNU).
“It’s a big week coming up knowing we’re 0-2 in the SEC,” Miller said. “I think the guys are just motivated to come out and get their first win. We’ve been working really hard in practice to come and do it.”
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Miller said he played about 70 percent against Tennessee and has since gotten healthy.
“My coaching staff did a great job of just keeping me calm, telling me it was going to be fine, like I said, getting my rehab done and stuff like that,” Miller said.
The 6-foot-1, 225-pound Miller led Florida in tackles in 2020 with 88 before appearing in just two games in 2021. He returned for a sixth year in 2022 and got off to a strong start with 9 tackles, a pass breakup and a quarterback hurry against Utah. Miller posted 29 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, 1 forced fumble and 1 fumble on the season.
As one of UF’s most experienced players on defense, Miller serves as an extension of the coaches on the field, responsible for lining up players based on what the offense is showing.
“It’s not easy to do,” Miller said. “I’m proud, I’m studying extra to get there, just knowing the ins and outs, I say, helps me.”
Helping to raise money for relief after Hurricane Jan
A Lakeland native and former Kathleen High standout, Miller was deeply moved by the damage he saw across the state last week from Hurricane Ian. As a result, Miller used his social media platform earlier this week to create a fund to help those affected by the storm. He started a GoFundMe page with a lofty goal of raising $200,000. As of late Thursday night, the page had raised more than $3,500 in donations.
“Just seeing that made a big impact on those people,” Miller said. “Flooded, lost homes, all the different things these people are going through. I felt there was some way for them. I felt it was my job to try to come do something to help.”
Miller’s decision to create a foundation to help others doesn’t surprise the Florida coaches who interact with him on a daily basis.
“Ventrell is as good a person as I am,” Florida coach Billy Napier said. “What makes him special to me is that he really cares about other people, doesn’t he? I mean, he’s living life and he’s got enough wisdom and perspective to realize that there are other people out there and he’s not self-absorbed….
“Now he’s doing good things for other people. Now he makes a difference. He will do this for the rest of his life. That’s who he is.”
