Gunner Miller moved about on the field at Finley Stadium on Wednesday night, as he has throughout spring practice, with confidence. It is, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga defensive coordinator Adam Fuller said, a confidence borne from Miller's vigorous work in the weight room during the offseason.
"Anytime you work so hard," Fuller said, "you're confident because you feel like you deserve something."
Miller, a freshman from East Ridge, might be generously listed at 6-foot-1 in UTC's spring media guide, but there's no doubting him when he says he weighs 220 pounds. That's 20 more than he did at the end of last season, he said.
"I love the weight room," Miller said before Wednesday's practice, UTC's eighth of the spring. "I love just being able to see yourself get better every day. I like to challenge myself; I never want to plateau, and I always want to be getting better."
That hard work might earn Miller the Bob Davis Winter Warrior Award at the end of spring practice. It's already paying dividends on the field where Miller is first on the depth chart at Sam (strongside) linebacker.
"He's just worked his tail off, and he's a kid that if you coach it, he'll usually do it right the next time," Fuller said. "And he's got physical skills, he bends his knees and he can run, and he's physical."
Miller came very close to playing last season because the Mocs didn't, and still don't, have much depth at linebacker. He dressed out for the Furman game when Doug Faatiliga was suspended but didn't play.
Extra pointsThe Mocs practice for more than two hours Wednesday. Among the spectators on the sideline were signees Keith Mayes and Keon Williams of Red Bank, who have been at nearly every practice, and Devin Caldwell of Boyd-Buchanan. ... The Mocs will practice again Friday and conduct their second scrimmage of the spring Saturday.
After suffering a minor knee injury in late September, Miller was sidelined for a few weeks, guaranteeing that he would redshirt. Mocs coach Russ Huesman said Miller has picked up where he left off in the fall.
"All the things we saw last fall when we were trying to get him ready -- the knee bend, the intensity, the knowledge of the game -- those things are showing back up here this spring, which is really good," Huesman said. "He's going to play and play a lot for us next year."
Among the other freshmen who redshirted last season that are challenging for starting jobs are wideout Marlon Anthony and cornerback Kadeem Wise. Running back Chris Awuah and defensive end Josh Williams started as true freshmen last season.
Miller begins his playing career with some big family shoes to fill. His sister April, now April Raschke, was a star softball player at UTC from 1994-96, and was inducted into the athletics hall of fame in 2004.