But now a new season is underway and he is back as a starting cornerback in the UW secondary. Paired with redshirt sophomore Byron Murphy, they form what is undoubtedly one of the top cornerback tandems in the Pacific-12 Conference, if not all of college football.
Overcoming an injury is never an easy process, of course, and that was certainly Miller’s experience. The initial injury and the subsequent rehab were difficult and painful, and time seemed to pass slowly. Indeed, 10 months is a long time on anyone’s calendar, and that was the interval from the ASU game until Miller could actually play again.
“It was hard, definitely, but it’s just something you have to adjust to,” he said. “You have to learn how to be active on the team without really being able to physically be out there in the field.”
Still, an injured player can sometimes feel “like an outsider,” Miller admitted. “I feel like everybody when they first get hurt feels (that way). No one else really knows what you’re going through. But we had other guys who got hurt around the same time as me, so I got real close with those guys. Guys like (wide receiver) Quinton Pounds, (linebacker) Brandon Wellington and (offensive tackle) Trey Adams.
“I’m also a pretty positive guy,” he added. “I’m a glass-half-full type of guy. I think everything happens for a reason, and because this happened I’ve become a better player and a better person.”
“The way he attacked his rehab was inspiring to all of us,” Lake said. “It was definitely inspiring to me. He had a couple of setbacks here and there, but he came out and had a great training camp (in August). And then to perform the way he has in these first (few) games, I couldn’t be more proud of him.”