Tale of the Tape: What Penn State gets in three-star cornerback
It seems that the only thing that will stop Penn State football’s run in recruiting during the month of July is the number of days left.
The Nittany Lions got another one of their preferred targets this week when Cam Miller, a three-star cornerback from Florida, picked the school on Monday.
The 6-foot-0, 180-pound athlete from the Jacksonville area may be a bit of an enigma to Penn State fans but he’s a highly athletic player with a high ceiling.
One of the reasons he’s such an unknown is that he didn’t play corner last year. He was a part-time safety for Fernandina Beach High School but his primary position was quarterback for the Pirates.
What sort of skills translate to the next level? We’ll look at the film to find some clues.
Strengths:
Athleticism: Sometimes it’s as simple as finding the best athlete on the field and giving them a new home at the next level. Miller was the quarterback in a triple-option as a junior and was a rushing threat to every part of the field. He’s got very good speed, reportedly somewhere in the high 4.4’s as a junior, and great movement skills. He also has been putting on weight this offseason with the goal of reaching 190 pounds before his senior season.
Closing Burst: The phrase “plays faster than his time” applies well to Miller. While he’s got a good speed profile, he seems so much faster on film because of his explosive closing burst. Either as a runner, or a safety filling the alley, he can get to top speed quickly out of his transition and get to the ball. That will help with the ability to drive on plays in zone coverage and break up passes.
Hip Flip: There is nothing sticky about Miller’s movement skills. The best part is that all of that speed and bouncy athleticism on film can be redirected in any direction, at any point. Miller has developed quite good independent movement skills for his upper and lower-body as a quarterback rolling out on play-action plays. This will allow him to turn and run with just about any receiver in man coverage as a corner. With his size, mobility, and off coverage skills, he’s a promising corner prospect who could possibly do it all.
Areas of Development:
Man Coverage: The most pressing question is can he stay with a man in bump and run coverage and not lose position throughout the route? The physical abilities are there, but the technical ones are a question. In general, his skills at the corner position are a complete unknown but he’ll play much more man coverage going forward than he has at safety.
Tackling: The one concrete thing we can see from the film available is that Miller is a willing, albeit risky, tackler. He doesn’t necessarily miss, but he doesn’t wrap consistently. He also throws a lot of shoulders and goes low at the ankles of his intended target. The good news is that he’s a tough player who is willing to stick his nose in and participate. For a corner, that’s a great starting point and one he’ll be able to work from.
Projection:
Boundary Corner: Miller has great size, and could easily add another 10-15 pounds of weight on his frame, making him a prototype boundary corner at 6-0, 195. That length, movement skills, and burst make him a versatile player who could excel in both man and zone coverage.
Star Corner: There’s no reason with his athleticism and ability to handle a two-way go athletically, that Miller couldn’t be a solid option as a slot corner in the future. He could play boundary corner on early downs and then kick into the slot in obvious passing situations to cover the slot on third down, much like John Reid did during his senior season.
Reports are that Miller is an intense player who is voracious in his appetite for football knowledge and training. He is transferring to Florida powerhouse Trinity Christian Academy for his senior season. Hopefully, he’ll be able to settle into his collegiate position and begin learning the fundamentals of playing corner in order to expedite his transition to the Big Ten.
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