Glen Miller’s off-the-field maturation has made him one of Maryland football’s key leaders

Every football coach knows the type of player Glen Miller used to be, his former high school coach Cameron Porch said.

“They’ve just got it naturally,” Porch said. “They’re talented and they don’t have to work quite as hard as everybody else.”

Miller oozed Division I-caliber talent from the moment he stepped onto Ridgeview High School’s football field, but he lacked discipline and focus at times.

Porch, who coached Miller his junior season, urged him to take things seriously. Be in the right spots on the field. Do what was asked of him off the field. Porch knew what Miller could become if he devoted his life to football.

“An absolute freak,” he said.

Miller, now a redshirt senior who recorded a team-high six tackles and an interception against UConn, is not just one of Maryland’s best players. He’s a leader in the locker room, despite not being one to revel in the spotlight. His work ethic and attention to detail do the talking for him.

Maryland head coach Michael Locksley called Miller a guy that does things “the right way.” Having someone that’s matured to his degree is invaluable in a college locker room.

“You’ve got to have players that have his testimony in your program, because they help some of the younger guys avoid some of those pitfalls,” Locksley said. “I see Glen taking on that type of role.”

Miller, one of eight siblings, was born in San Antonio. His mother was in the Army, and his family frequently moved throughout his childhood. He spent time in South Carolina, Virginia, California, Arizona and overseas in Kuwait before his family settled in Florida when he was in sixth grade.

Miller moved to Orange Park, a Jacksonville suburb, during the second half of his sophomore year. Standing at 6-foot-3 with standout length and ball skills, he played safety and wide receiver at Ridgeview.

But he didn’t always have the focus to match his talent. Miller was a fun, lighthearted kid, and that made it hard for him to take things seriously.

“I liked to work out with the players, and I made sure Glen was in my group,” said Matt Knauss, Ridgeview’s head coach during Miller’s senior year. “I have a video of [Glen] taking my phone and recording some video that I would find later.”

Miller developed a close friendship with Ridgeview teammate Denali Lindo. The two bonded as part of the same weight room group the summer before their junior year — much to Porch’s chagrin.

“Always, always, every single day, no matter what we’re doing,” Porch said, “I would have to go run [Glen and Denali] down around the weight room [and tell them] ‘Get back here, get back here, get back here, [the] group’s waiting on you.’”

If you ask Miller, Lindo was the better player. Schools like Ole Miss and UAB were “in love” with him, Knauss said. But Lindo tore his ACL in the Panthers’ season opener his junior year, and fractured his femur in the second game of his senior year. He never played college football.

Miller felt his friend’s pain personally. It motivated him to pursue his football dreams full-force.

“I was living for me and him,” Miller said. “I always knew how badly he wanted to do all the things I was doing.”

Miller entered his senior season without a Division I offer. He shined that year, earning a Clay County All-County first-team selection on both offense and defense despite Ridgeview going 1-9. Miller garnered some college interest by the end of the campaign, but was still searching for his first offer.

He didn’t have to wait long. Maryland offered Miller a scholarship shortly after the season ended, the only Power Five school to do so. Miller visited College Park in early December and committed just three days later.

But high school football doesn’t come close to matching the Big Ten’s talent. Miller could rely on his athleticism to set him apart at Ridgeview. He lost that privilege when he got to Maryland.

The big picture was still yet to dawn on Miller. He recalled often being called to Locksley’s office for things like being late to meetings and missing study hall.

“He would always try to tell me doing all these things would make [me] a better football player, and I wasn’t really hearing him,” Miller said. “I was trying to find a way to go around it, do it my way.”

Locksley was right. Even if Miller didn’t see it at the time, his off-the-field behavior affected his play. And once he started paying attention to the little things, the on-field results were evident, Miller said.

Miller became a steady part of the secondary rotation as a redshirt sophomore in 2022, appearing in seven games with one start. He put it all together in 2023, racking up 36 tackles (25 solo) and four interceptions across all 13 games, seven of which he started.

“When you do things right off the field, good things come to you on the field,” said Ruben Hyppolite II, who was in the same freshman class as Miller. “Glen has really done a great job of paying attention to the details, taking care of his body, watching the tape, watching the film, and you see it out there.”

Miller capped off the 2023 season with a pick-six in the Music City Bowl against Auburn. But when asked by TerpTalk this offseason what his best play in college has been, he didn’t mention the touchdown, or any of his other 2023 highlight-reel plays.

Instead, with little hesitation and a big smile, he brought up his lead block to spring free former Terp Tarheeb Still for a punt-return touchdown in the 2021 Pinstripe Bowl against Virginia Tech — a play where Miller was ultimately bulldozed by a 300-pound lineman.

“I knew that was the last defender to get, so for me to stop him from touching [Tarheeb], I scored in a way,” Miller said.

Miller was a leader among leaders this past offseason, and the coaching staff took notice. Locksley called Miller to his office near the end of summer camp, and initially, Miller was prepared for an earful from his coach.

“I was like, ‘Dang, what am I going to Locks for? I didn’t do anything,’” he said.

But things were different this time. Miller was called in for a surprise: an offer to move on from his previous jersey number, No. 13, and dawn the coveted No. 1.

“He was kind of hesitant,” Locksley said. “I said, ‘No, you’ve earned it.’”