Von Miller Nearly Left Texas A&M Before His Record-Breaking Season

After the future Hall of Famer was suspended by then-A&M head coach Mike Sherman, he was ready to head elsewhere, but one person convinced him to stay.

Washington Commanders linebacker Von Miller (24) walks off the field after the game against the New York Giants at Northwest Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Two players come to mind to most Texas A&M fans when you ask them who the best defensive player of the 21st century for the school has been.

One is Myles Garrett, and the other is Von Miller, with the latter being taken second overall in the 2011 NFL draft and is currently the league's active sacks leader as he goes through the final stages of a legendary career that has included Super Bowl wins with the Denver Broncos and Los Angeles Rams.

Miller's incredible professional career transferred over from his game-wrecking days in College Station, but that almost wasn't the case early into his time in Aggieland.

"You're Not Just About To Quit When It Gets Hard"

Washington Commanders outside linebacker Von Miller (24) speaks with the media after practice on day two of training camp at OrthoVirginia Training Center at Commanders Park. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

In an interview with UFC Hall of Famer Daniel Cormier on his Champion Mindset podcast, Miller spoke of when he got suspended by Texas A&M head coach Mike Sherman before the 2008 season for poor performance both on the field and in the classroom, and that he had plans to transfer and join head coach Urban Meyer at the University of Florida.

"I was like, man, I'm about to go, man, and I'm gonna transfer to the University of Florida. That was my number two school," said Miller to the former heavyweight champion. "You look on TV and you see Tim Tebow and all these guys winning championships and I was like, 'Man, I'm gonna leave and go over there.'"

However, when he told his father, Von Miller Sr., of his intentions, "Dad" gave his son a completely different answer than what he was anticipating.

"He said, ‘Pull that truck over, turn around, and go back to school. You’re not quitting," Miller said. “I was like, ‘That was not the answer I was looking for.’ He was like, ‘You’re not just about to quit when it gets hard. You’re going to turn that truck back around. You’re going to go back to school and you’re going to fix it.’”

The DeSoto native, who recently signed a deal with his hometown team in the Dallas Cowboys this offseason, knew he had a tough road ahead, but he knew he had to make his father and coach proud.

“There was nowhere I could go. I just had to face the music. I had to face the truth. That spring was a hard one, but I got my grades up. I made it to all my classes. I went through the checklist of everything Coach Sherman wanted me to do,” Miller said.

And sure enough, with a change of his previous mindset, Miller became the force that many know him as today, putting up a nation-best 17.5 sacks.

“That following year, my junior year, was the best year that I had up until that day. I led the nation in sacks. I had 17 and a half sacks. My life had totally changed," Miller told Cormier. "That was all a testament to running straight through the storm. The shortest way through the storm is straight. I put my head down and I worked, and my life totally changed that offseason.”

Fast forward nearly 20 years, and Miller has won the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year, the Super Bowl, and currently has 138.5 sacks to his name, good enough to tie him for the ninth-most in league history with another Cowboys legend, DeMarcus Ware.

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