Alabama RB Jam Miller Excited for New Role, Looking to Improve
TUSCALOOSA, Ala.— One of a number of returning faces who will take on a bigger role as part of the 2024 Alabama football team is running back Jam Miller.
The junior Texas native has, along with rising sophomore Justice Haynes, been taking reps as the number one back during spring practice. Both are expected to have major roles in the rushing attack. Miller ran for 201 yards with a touchdown as a sophomore last season. "I'm very excited," he said. "It's a whole new coaching staff, whole new team, bunch of young guys. We just ready to go out there and dominate."
He also raved about the offensive line, headed up by new addition Chris Kapilovic. "They doing a lot of good things up there up front," he said. "This year, they can be more physical, [and] gaps are more open for them to be able to protect the quarterback more." Where both quarterbacks and running backs are concerned, Miller believes a next-man-up mentality is important, should somebody go down and another player subsequently be called upon. "We get different looks from every quarterback that's in the room."
He's ecstatic that running backs coach Robert Gillespie stayed on as a member of new head coach Kalen DeBoer's staff. It was some respite from what he described as the most difficult part of the transition period for the program, coaches moving in and out. He anticipates running the ball " a lot."
Miller's 2023 stat line also included 73 receiving yards and a touchdown reception. The receiving aspect of his game is something he's hoping to expand on as his role grows larger.
"I want to improve on route running, coming out of the backfield, being in empty, little things like that," he said. His speed allows him the ability to be versatile as a pass-catching option, including by getting outside. He also showed flashes of that quickness as a freshman in 2022, when he appeared in 13 games (including as a special teamer) and logged his first two collegiate scores on the ground.
Haynes and Miller have a strong relationship. They help out one another, as well as the younger players on the roster, and are bound in part by a shared goal: winning the national championship. Energy in the room is high. "We just gotta set the standard in this [running back] room and try to win the natty this year," Miller said. "As an older guy in the room, I just gotta step up and be a leader. Encourage younger guys, and the freshmen that just came in."
Defensive coordinator Kane Wommack previously touched on the offense when breaking down his "Swarm" defense, which is another one of the changes in the program this season. Miller sees the potential for that defense and mindset to, in turn, complement the offense and help that side of the football get better.
"Just by the way [the] defense plays, that's helping us get better during practice," Miller said. "We're just tryna find different ways to beat defense, and the defense [is] trying to find a way to beat us."
