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2022 RB Jamarion Miller


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(Gabe Brooks) What Texas gets in 4-star running back Jamarion Miller

Spoiler

Texas landed a major addition to its 2022 recruiting class Monday, when Tyler (Texas) Legacy four-star running back Jamarion Miller announced his commitment to the Longhorns. Texas now holds pledges from the top two running backs in Texas in this class in Jaydon Blue and Miller, per the industry-generated 247Sports Composite and Top247 rankings.

Miller -- ranked in the top 120 overall of the Top247 -- gives Texas a second running back who has verified his speed in a track setting. In fact, Miller's personal record of 10.71 seconds in the 100 meters is virtually identical to Blue's PR (10.70). Both of those times came during the spring semester.

Miller's track speed translates to the field, where he has produced big-play punch for three years already at the varsity level. In 2020, Miller averaged 9.82 yards per carry and one touchdown for every 6.92 touches -- 28 total touchdowns in 194 touches.

An encouraging aspect of Miller's production is his yards per attempt increasing as his volume has increased. Miller ran for almost six yards per carry as a freshman, nearly eight yards per carry as a sophomore, and fell just shy of 10 yards per carry in 2020. Those gains coincided with rush attempts of 105, 140, and 166.

Additionally, Miller's pass-catching prowess has increased each season, from four catches (43 yards) in 2018, to 12 catches (111 yards) in 2019, to 28 receptions (424 yards, eight TD) as a junior. The combination of legitimately verified top-end speed in the form of 100-meter context and the production/yards per carry data gives Miller a strong profile at his position, relative to what recent NFL Drafts have shown.

I have heard some concern about Miller's size. In the 5-foot-10, 195-pound range, Miller is stoutly and compactly built with a naturally low center of gravity that helps him play larger than that list sized. His quick-twitch athleticism manifests as power in spurts to allow him to run through arm tackles and finish runs.

For a bit of NFL Draft context to running back height, in the 2021 draft, 13 of 18 running backs selected were shorter than 6 feet. Eight of those backs were 5-foot-10 1/2 or shorter, according to NFL.com data.

Miller combines quick-footed athleticism with good vision and instincts to make him dangerous as a home run-hitting back with patience to let plays develop for him. He's an outstanding one-cut back who gets to the second level quickly, allowing his long speed to take over in the open field.

While I don't worry much at all about Miller's limited frame affecting his long-term upside, could it become an issue in regards to translating the running style with which he thrives vs. high school competition -- often between the tackles, relying on cutback burst -- to the Power Five level? I personally am not concerned about that much, but I understood the spirit of the question from those who raise it. Again, Miller is quick-footed, but he can still get looser and more explosive in his open-field change of direction.

Nevertheless, Miller checks plenty of other boxes, and his improving pass-catching ability could allow for some personnel creativity. I think Miller's standing as a top 10 running back in the country in the Top247 rankings is well deserved. The verified athletic data and physical makeup -- fostering consistently low pad level and finishing ability -- fit the profile of a player who has an NFL Draft ceiling in a few years.

 

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