Ventrell Miller Returns to Florida Gators This Year With 'Unfinished Business'
With the Florida Gators moving forward this spring, the expectations the team has will certainly be high. After ending the year on a disappointing note, dropping the final three contests of the season, Florida will be as motivated as ever in proving the doubters wrong, especially defensively.
The defense, of course, starts up front and trails back as many defensive coaches like to point out, however, its leader is middle linebacker Ventrell Miller, one of the few bright spots from last year's unit. A redshirt senior in 2021, Miller returned to Florida with plenty to give and a lot of "unfinished business."
"Definitely was a good feeling last year," Miller said when asked on Tuesday about his leadership and play last season. "I'm coming out to try to up the bar. Prove myself even more. I feel like I'm just a low-key guy, but I feel like I - I don't know - I feel like I shouldn't be.
"But, it's all good. Like I said, just working, nose to the ground and continue to work and like you said, I got unfished business that I'm trying to do."
Miller would go on to lead the team in tackles in 2020, finishing with 86 total tackles (52 solos), 7.5 tackles-for-loss and 3.5 sacks. Certainly, the Florida linebacker was underrated among the many last season, but he was able to earn himself a couple of SEC Defensive Player of the Week nods, one in Week 4 and one in Week 14.
This year, Miller and his linebacking crew will have plenty of time to regroup, afforded a spring training season unlike in 2020 when it was shut down due to the coronavirus pandemic. With many traits to focus and work on, Miller gave a few of the things he and his group of linebackers are working on this season.
“I would say just little technical things, little techniques. Just making sure we know what we’re doing first off, communicating to everybody else," he said.
Communication was a major issue for the Florida defense last year. Not just at the linebacking level, either. There were plenty of busted coverages within the secondary and especially in the middle of the field. All of that looks to get cleaned up as the team moves forward through the offseason.
An area that Miller is trying to work on for himself this year is his hands, he says. The young linebacker has had just one interception in his career, and it would come during his redshirt freshman season in 2018. He totaled three pass breakups last season, the most he's ever had in a single season, however.
"Getting to the ball more, seeing little things, really just being a student of the game more, knowing what everybody else is doing, not just what I’m doing. How all the pieces fit together.”
Gators linebackers coach Christian Robinson spoke about Miller last season, indicating that while Miller did perform "really well" last season, he still wanted to do more, accomplish more. Robinson also made sure to mention a conversation he had with Miller before regarding his jersey number, No. 51, a number once worn by Gator Great Brandon Spikes.
"I said, 'You know, there's a guy that played before you that a lot of people think about in that jersey, and a great player. You can share some of that if you come back and perform the way that you do and the things that I know you're capable of.' The leadership, the things that he does that nobody else sees outside of this building," said Robinson.
"Those are the things that are left for him, and I think he's gonna perform really well, and lead this defense. I think, you can hear him, even if he's not in on a play, you hear him talking. And, he's got unfinished business."
