Florida Roots, Florida Dreams: Ventrell Miller’s Rise Through State’s Football Scene
From Friday night football games under the lights to SEC Saturdays in The Swamp turned Sunday afternoons at EverBank Stadium, Ventrell Miller has had one constant through the complex and volatile process of climbing the football ladder.
Miller began as a standout high school prospect before being recruited to a premier SEC program and then becoming part of just the 1.2 to 1.6 % of college football athletes to make it to the NFL.
And he’s done it all without leaving the state — and the people in it — he loves most.
“This is home, so I don’t know how I’d feel to be anywhere else,” Miller said. “Excited just to continue to still be in the state of Florida. Family can come out and come to games, visit games.
“Definitely was excited to go right up the road again.”
Miller grew up in Lakeland, a little more than two hours from Gainesville. He lived with his grandmother, Eva Davis, who raised him from a young age.
“He lived with me until he was about 16 or 17,” Davis said. “My other grandkids say I had him spoiled rotten.”
Davis put Miller and his older brother, Antonio, in football, the sport they both continued to play through high school. Miller began his football career at about 5 years old, Davis said, initially starting as an offensive player.
His first Pee Wee League team was called the Jaguars, Davis said, and even as a youngster he was a standout, earning rookie of the year. He found success in his younger years as a running back, but when he got to Kathleen High School, that all changed.
His defensive instincts began to come through, and just in time, he met linebackers coach and defensive coordinator at Kathleen, Anthony Troutman, to help develop them.
“Great guy, definitely developed me into who I am now,” Miller said of Troutman. “Had a great relationship with him. He always pushed me to get better. Always held me accountable and made me be a leader.”
Troutman remembers him as “young Miller,” a nickname he earned because his brother, Antonio, came to Troutman a few years before, and he was already established as “Miller.”
The coach served as a mentor, and the two developed a relationship on and off the field. Aside from guiding him in football, Troutman used to give Miller rides to school, and the two would talk about life and faith, building a bond that extended beyond the gridiron.
That relationship continued long after Miller outgrew the halls and field at Kathleen.
Troutman came to Gainesville to watch Miller play, he was at his draft party, with him for one of the most exciting moments of his life, and shortly after, Miller invited Troutman to be a coach at his first youth camp back at the pair’s old stomping grounds.
“If I do have a claim to fame, maybe I can say, ‘Hey, I was one of the first linebacker coaches that he had,’” Troutman said. “But he’s definitely one of the standouts that you got a chance to coach over the years, so he’ll always be one of the ones like, ‘man, we got to coach a young man that ended up going off to the NFL.”
Under Troutman’s guidance and with his own work ethic and talent, Miller was recruited to play at the University of Florida starting in 2017. He left Kathleen High School as a three-star prospect and All-County selection.
But when he came to UF, it wasn’t all smooth sailing to start. He was suspended in his first season for his involvement in a debit card scandal at the university. It involved many players, most of whom later departed UF.
However, Miller decided to stay at Florida and turn things around. When the new linebackers coach at the time, Christian Robinson, came to the program, he was given that opportunity.
Just as he did with Troutman, Miller formed another special, long-lasting relationship with the coach who had the same faith in Miller and his character.
“I love Ventrell to death. He is just a great teammate, a great person, and I wish there was more guys like Ventrell out there,” Robinson said. “He’s a guy that had enough ability. If he continued to work, [I knew] he would get an opportunity.”
Miller played his first season in 2018, mainly appearing on special teams, but also getting the opportunity to flash as a linebacker. He began to emerge the following year, starting 11 games at linebacker and finishing second on the team in tackles (55). He continued to improve, leading the team in the category the next year and was on track to do the same in 2021 before a bicep injury sidelined him for the rest of the season.
He fought through adversity again and returned to the field for a final collegiate season, one that was impactful enough to make him the Jaguars’ fourth-round pick in 2023.
“Florida is SEC football, that’s real football, so I feel like it prepared me when I got into the league,” Miller said. “Great teammates there, seeing guys going first round, I always knew it was possible.”
The selection not only stamped him achieving his NFL dreams, but also continued his career with his family by his side.
And it isn’t just Miller and his family who understand how special it was for him to stay in his home state.
“I think it’s allowed him to stay grounded,” Robinson said. “That’s a dream to play in your home state. And the other thing too for all the Gators fans that grew up watching him, that’s got to be a special deal where they got their Jags jersey, and it’s a Gator player that they love too. And you just sell those things to kids and families if you come here and do this, this is a possibility.
“And I bet he’d say he’s living the dream too.”
Robinson now serves as the outside linebackers coach at the University of Alabama, but Miller’s post in Jacksonville has given the two a chance to cross paths again when Robinson scouts in the city.
The two met up for lunch at Robinson’s favorite spot in Jacksonville, Palm Valley Fish Camp, to catch up on life and keep up their relationship. And while Robinson hears about Miller living out his dream in his home state, he lives out one of his own — watching one of his former players achieve their ultimate goal.
“That’s what the dream is, is that you have a young man come play for you, trust in the things that you’re working and it get him to where he’s always dreamed of playing,” Robinson said.
Miller has not only made it to the NFL stage, but has taken on an integral role on this year’s squad.
As a starter this season, he’s recorded 41 total tackles, which ranks second on the team, and he’s also added a sack, three tackles for loss, three passes defended and a forced fumble. He came out of the gate firing, recording a season-high 10 tackles in the season opener against the Cleveland Browns.
“Having the opportunity to come out and start, just trying to take advantage of every rep that I got,” Miller said. “It was a process from when I first got here to now. So just trying to take advantage of every opportunity that I get now and do what I can for my team to win.”
In Miller’s first campaign with the Jaguars, he ruptured his right Achilles tendon during preseason, sidelining him for his entire rookie season. But he persevered and bounced back quickly, starting over half the games in 2024 and logging 80 tackles. While his role decreased in 2025, he still played in all 17 games and logged 38 total tackles.
But this season, he is on track for his most productive one yet.
“He’s done a really good job overall,” defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile said. “He’s a guy you can rely on to set the tone physically for the defense … He’s looking to improve, he’s trying to do extra. And I think all of his teammates see that, and that’s been a good thing for our defense.”
Miller’s grandmother has taken advantage of her grandson playing just a few hours away. She’s been going to each of his games since he was a young kid, and she spent plenty of her Saturdays in Gainesville. Now she goes up to Jacksonville and watches games at EverBank, and still looks forward to doing so just as much as she did when he was young.
Davis will be in the stands at EverBank for the Jaguars’ next home game as a piece of the village that has bolstered Miller through his life and football career.
“It takes a community of people to help us as human beings get to where we are,” Troutman said about his and others’ impact on Miller. “As long as we’re on this earth, we’re gonna need somebody and other people around for us to be the successors that we can be.”
Category: Jacksonville Jaguars, NFL
