One Lakeland native and Kathleen football legend is giving back to his community this weekend.
Jacksonville Jaguars linebacker Ventrell Miller is returning this Saturday and will host the second annual Ventrell Miller Foundation Youth Football Camp, which will take place 9:30 a.m. at Kathleen High School. The camp is expected to host north of 125 youth athletes from across the area for a day of football, fun, and most importantly, mentorship.
Registration for the camp is officially full. Still, excitement is ballooning as local athletic youngsters gear up to train with one of their hometown football savants. The camp will feature football drills, skill-building stations, and motivational sessions led by Miller as well as a team of seasoned coaches and volunteers.
Outside of football, the day will be jam packed with fun for the whole family, including bounce house games, snow cones, food and more community-centered activities.
“The Ventrell Miller Foundation proudly thanks its supporters for making this special event possible. A huge thank you to: PRIME, Jet’s Pizza, The Seiler Group, Wilson Football, Bombas, and Milk & Honey Sports,” a press release stated.
Aspiring football players have a reason to look up to Miller. He was the 2015 PolkPrep.com Defensive Player of the Year, finishing with 104 total tackles — including 64 solo tackles — with nine tackles for loss, one sack, one quarterback hurry, five pass breakups, one interception, two fumble recoveries, two blocked punts and one touchdown. His stellar year led to him having 37 Division I offers, which eventually followed up with him deciding on signing with the Florida Gators, though he grew up a Florida State fan.
“I had clothes and stuff, hat and shirt (that had to be tossed out), but I am happy about my decision,” Miller previously said.
Still, Miller went on to star as a two-time team captain for the Florida Gators. In his time there, the Gators accumulated three consecutive New Year’s Six bowls appearances from 2018-2020. And the Division I school secured a 2019 Orange Bowl win over the Virginia Cavaliers. Florida also consistently finished among the top teams in the SEC during this timeframe (2020-2022) culminating third, fourth, and fifth in the SEC standings.
Individually, Miller was a two-time SEC Defensive Player of the Week and a Comeback Player of the Year Award semifinalist. And he was a two-time SEC Academic Honor Roll recipient. He would go on to finish his career with 240 total tackles, 23.5 tackles for loss, 7.5 sacks, two forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, and one interception in 49 games. `
The Orlando and Lakeland native would go on to be selected by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the fourth round of the 2023 NFL Draft.