Cam Miller had to wait 24 games for his first start at Penn State. His next start could be just a few weeks away.
The Nittany Lions will unveil a redesigned cornerback room on August 31 in Morgantown against West Virginia.
Johnny Dixon, Kalen King and Daequan Hardy, Penn State’s top three cornerbacks in 2023, are gone.
Miller, the team’s No. 4 cornerback last season, will play a key role. The third-year junior will be joined by three transfers – AJ Harris (Georgia), Jalen Kimber (Florida) and Audavion Collins (Mississippi State).
Second-year Lions Zion Tracy and Elliot Washington are also potential contributors to Terry Smith’s cornerback rotation.
“I’m very confident about our group,” said the 6-foot-3, 180-pound Miller, who finished 2023 with four tackles for loss, three sacks and an interception. “We’re competitive and we make each other better every day.”
“Cam Miller has the most experience here at Penn State,” Penn State coach James Franklin said in early August when asked about the competition around the corner.
“You know what we think of AC Audavion Collins, what he did all offseason. There was a lot of talk about him. Perhaps the player on our roster who has improved the most since the end of the season.
“(Jalen) Kimber has come to us and really developed and changed his body in our strength and conditioning program and played a lot of football in a very good league. You know (AJ) Harris. There are just a lot of guys we have a good feeling about.”
Miller said the additions of Harris, Kimber and Collins – Collins was on the team last year, while Harris and Kimber are in their first year with the Lions – have had a significant impact on the 2024 defense.
“Very competitive, they have a lot of experience when it comes to the SEC, different perspectives,” Miller said of the transfer corners.
“SEC ball is different than Big Ten, so we learn from them. It just expands the space and helps the space.”
Miller was also impressed with what new defensive coordinator Tom Allen has done with the defense in a short amount of time. He succeeds Manny Diaz, who is now Duke’s head coach.
“We’re doing a lot of the same things we did before, just without him,” Miller said when asked about Allen.
“It’s a very similar philosophy, but it’s good to have him there. He’s a very good coach and a great addition to the defense. We’re going to be really good on defense.”
