Penn State Q&A: Cam Miller talks Lions newcomers, Peach Bowl lessons, and more
Penn State cornerback Cam Miller is preparing this spring for what he hopes will be his best season yet in blue and white. The Florida native has been a consistent presence in the Nittany Lions’ secondary over his first two seasons in blue and white. As a freshman, he burned his redshirt while playing 110 snaps on defense while also getting special teams time. A year ago, his snap count jumped to 326, which made him the team’s fourth corner. In 2024, he aims to win a starting job and play as many combined snaps, if not more, as he did in 2022 and 2023.
“That’s my goal,” Miller told reporters on Tuesday after spring practice No. 7. “I just have to keep my head down and keep working. You know, nothing is promised. Just keep competing and get better every day.”
Position coach Terry Smith and first-year defensive coordinator Tom Allen have a pair of starters returning at safety in Kevin Winston Jr., and Jaylen Reed plus a strong No. 3 option in Zakee Wheatley. The depth chart at cornerback is not as clear-cut. Miller is the veteran in a room that also returns contributors Zion Tracy and Elliot Washington, has Audavion Collins coming off of a redshirt season, and features a talent infusion in transfers AJ Harris and Jalen Kimber. All are fighting for the reps vacated by NFL-bound corners Kalen King, Johnny Dixon, and Daequan Hardy. And, the battle so far to set the pecking order coming out of spring practice has been cordial but fierce.
More: Penn State defensive coordinator Tom Allen discusses depth, talent and sub-packages
“Me personally, I love the competition,” Miller said. “The competition in the room is going to raise everyone’s play. I was telling someone, you got to be on your P’s and Q’s every day. It just makes everyone better. And then, [the transfer], they got some different experience. They came from the SEC. So, they got some experience. I pick their brains because I’m continually looking to learn. So, it’s good.
“We’re all hungry. We all want the same goal. So, it’s like a bunch of wild men out there giving their best effort. It’s really exciting to be a part of it.”
Q&A: Cam Miller
Miller covered plenty of other topics with reporters on Tuesday. Here are the highlights from that conversation:
On lessons learned from his sophomore season and the Peach Bowl
“It was a pivotal year,” Miller said. “I needed that experience to get my feet wet, go against some elite talent, especially in the Peach Bowl. I was in the fire. It was a great opportunity to go against Lane Kiffin and an SEC offense. So it was pivotal. It’s just little things I need to work on in my technique.”
How has Miller improved over the years at Penn State?
“Understanding the game, playing different positions, understanding what the nickel is doing, what the corner is doing, what the safeties are doing, each call, and then just working on, in the weight room, being more physical on the field,” he said. “Especially if I’m going to play in the slot a little bit. I got to be ready to come down and tackle and stuff.”
Is Tom Allen’s defense different from Manny Diaz’s?
“We got a lot of the same philosophies,” Miller said. “We’re trying to keep a lot of things the same. Keep it simple, so we can play fast. There’s very little change, honestly.”
On freshmen Antoine Belgrave-Shorter and Jon Mitchell
“Those guys are very close,” Miller said. “They’re learning a new system. You can tell they’re young. But, they want to be great. They work hard. They’re always the older guys just trying to get better.”
