Jam Miller preparing for huge junior season

As Alabama running back Jam Miller prepares to take the reins in the Crimson Tide backfield, he is a popular breakout candidate and could prove to be a superstar this fall. Alabama fans are excited to watch him play, but Miller might be the best kept secret in all of college football due to a multitude of factors. 

Though he is entering his draft-eligible junior season, there is a lot of tread on the tires for Jam Miller, who has logged just 79 plays from scrimmage in his first two years on campus. The running back from Tyler, Texas has been very effective in those touches, but has always been a reserve behind guys like Jahmyr Gibbs, Jase McClellan, and Roydell Williams. 

Now that Miller is stepping into a starter-equivalent role, he is still managing to fly under the national radar. That’s because he’s expected to split carries with rising sophomore Justice Haynes, a former 5-star recruit who’s name generates a little more buzz. In fact, the SEC recently named Haynes to its preseason all-conference team despite the fact that he has just 25 career carries. It made no mention of Jam Miller, who was ahead of Haynes on the depth chart for most of 2023 as well as throughout the spring. Miller even earned A-Day MVP honors after scoring a pair of touchdowns in the spring game. 

The expectation is that these two backs will be interchangeable this season, but Haynes seems to grab most of the headlines. While there is no doubt in my mind that Justice Haynes will be electrifying, Miller is the workhorse that this offense needs. He is a powerful runner that Alabama can lean on, taking pressure off guys like Haynes and quarterback Jalen Milroe. 

Jam Miller is a blue collar worker who is a football player first and a running back second. He made his mark on special teams over his first two seasons in Tuscaloosa, making some big hits and heads-up plays along the way.

Though he has a lunch pail mentality, he also has a propensity for making explosive plays. Miller led the Tide with 6.8 yards per carry in his limited opportunities as a freshman. He broke off a 38-yard dash against Kansas State in the Sugar Bowl, which proved to be Bama’s longest run of the day.

This past season, his 35-yard catch and run against LSU gave the Tide a huge third down conversion and eventually led to a touchdown. He made his most memorable play yet on one of the biggest stages the sport has to offer: the SEC Championship Game against top-ranked Georgia. In the Tide's victory over the Bulldogs, Miller scored Alabama's first touchdown on a 28-yard catch in the second quarter.

Jam Miller just seems to make plays, whenever and wherever his team needs them. Whether he is Batman or Robin in the Tide's running back rotation, I expect him to be a fixture and an unsung hero in the Alabama offense this fall.