I’ll be the first to admit that when I saw Jaice Miller‘s 2018 film I left without much of an impression. He seemed like just another tall receiver without much game breaking ability. Sure he was tall and had hands,…
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Subscribe Already a subscriber? Log inI’ll be the first to admit that when I saw Jaice Miller‘s 2018 film I left without much of an impression. He seemed like just another tall receiver without much game breaking ability. Sure he was tall and had hands, but he seemed one dimensional. That was before I saw his 2019 film at quarterback. Miller showed the type of coordinated, confident and aggressive overall athleticism that is made for midwestern developmental programs. If someone can harness his aggressiveness with the ball into technique and anger as a blocker they’ll have found a special H-Back. Read on for my breakdown.
Jaice Miller – ATH Champlin Park 6’4″ 220
Size/Build
Tall and built with long limbs and shorter torso length. Lean yet strong looking. Looks like a D1 athlete right now. Flipped on the state championship game against Wayzata after not having watched all year and thought “when did Champlin get a stud QB?” Maybe a tad small for in-line tight end but he provides a lot of value as an H-Back similar to Russell Corrigan if he can put on weight.
Athleticism
Stud. Shows good feet to sidestep defenders in the pocket as well as get downhill quickly. Generates some impressive torque on throws running left or right and shows the overall dexterity to do a variety of things on a football field. Good body control at the catch point and getting around defenders. Strong lower body allowing him to square up defenders. Can stutter step relatively quick for his size then rely on his size and explosiveness to blow through arm tackles like he does here against notable Rosemount linebacker Jake Ratzlaff.
Speed
Pretty good wheels for an H-Back prospect. Long strider with good feet that don’t get tied often. Can get up to full speed pretty quickly if given runway. Looks about a 4.80 right now. Do not doubt he’d run a 4.5 after 3-4 years in a college weight program.
Power
Quite the steamroller as a mobile QB. Packs a lot of force into his frame when he gets going and punishes second & third level defenders. Uncorks some unreal throws as well for a part time QB and that’s all in the hips. Shows no fear with the ball and attacks defenders and moves piles.
Routes/Agility
Fairly one dimensional Junior film with almost all go routes. Knows how to minimize contact area widening around defenders. Good length to arm-guard downfield while the ball is up. Decisive with contact and big/athletic enough to power through smaller defenders.
Vision/RAC
Confident and powerful with the ball in his hands. Shows potential as a 3rd down wildcat runner if he improves his decisiveness and speed. Stays square approaching LOS and runs hard once he’s made a decision. Loves contact and aggressively uses his size to inflict damage.
Ball Skills
Excellent hand-eye coordination and size gives him a secure set of hands to build on. Ability to attack the ball in different situations: downfield, red zone, crossers, etc. Security blanket hands that just need to get open more often.
Summary
Pure athlete who switched to QB for his Senior year and took his team to the state title game to get knocked off by a Wayzata team with multiple D1 offerees and WCCO Coach of the Year Lambert Brown. Miller is powerful with some flashes of impressive agility. Those traits in his frame make him perfect for a Bohl-led Wyoming team (or a Kleiman-led KSU team for that matter.) He projects to about 4-5 different positions and I think those players always benefit from developmental programs that can bring out their physical attributes. Wyoming could be good to him. I could see him getting another 2-3 FBS offers and generating some all-conference buzz as a hybrid tight end/fullback for a few years.
Images courtesy of Hudl, the Star Tribune and CCX Media
