When Wesley Miller showed up at Heritage Academy four years ago, he had all of the tools needed to be a star football player. For many young players, that would have been enough.
But Miller worked. And worked. And worked some more. He worked on his grades. He worked in the weight room. And now he’s ticketed to the Southeastern Conference.
Wearing his late grandmother’s picture around his neck, the Heritage Academy senior made his choice official Wednesday, signing to play safety at Mississippi State. He had committed to the Bulldogs in April, choosing Mike Leach’s program over Florida State, Ole Miss and Tennessee.
“Close to home,” Miller said with a big smile shortly before putting pen to paper. “I’ve got to make sure my mom’s at every game. And I can go home any time I need to. It’s like family there.”
Two recruiting lists had Miller among the top 25 players in MIssissippi, with On3 ranking him No. 17.
Heritage coach and athletic director Sean Harrison made it clear to the assembled audience in the school’s gym that Miller was special to him.
“Wesley Miller will always hold a special place in my heart … He struggled when he came over academically with the transition, and so the impressive thing about him is that he faced the adversity,” Harrison said. “He didn’t run from it; he didn’t quit. He’ll graduate with well over a 3.0 GPA.
“He just did everything he was supposed to do: always positive, always great leadership, always really really good to our young kids, building them up, a lot of intangible things that can’t be replaced.”
Miller came to Heritage from New Hope, and, noting how that school struggled during his first three years of high school, he said he would not be signing with MSU had he not made the switch.
That put a smile on Harrison’s face, but Miller has been doing that for four years.
“The biggest thing of course is the physical attributes,” he said. “You have to have those to even get a look. But it’s the things that he has that are going to make him go far: hard worker in the classroom; he loves the weight room. Pound for pound he’s by far our strongest kid. He has a love for the weight room, a love for the work outside of Friday nights, and that will help him be successful.”
Miller totaled 103 tackles, 18 pass breakups, 5 forced fumbles and 3 interceptions this season. But he also returned kicks, including an 86-yard touchdown return, and he was a factor on offense. He finished with 470 yards on 46 carries, but he really showed what he can do in the MAIS Class 5A semifinal, when he shredded Oak Forest for 148 yards on 14 carries and made an interception in the end zone.
Still, Miller said he never seriously considered going to a college at which he could play on offense, which isn’t surprising for a player who pointed to an interception as his high school memory that stands out the most.
“My first pick at Bayou Academy, sophomore year,” he said proudly, noting that he had five interceptions that season and five more as a junior.
Miller had trouble putting into words what the Heritage coaching staff has done for him during his time with the Patriots.
“It’s a lot,” he said. “They do everything for me. I can’t even explain it. They do everything.”
And he had good things to say about the coaching staff over in Starkville.
“Everyone’s cool,” he said. “They’re all laid back, except coach JWash, Jason Washington.”
Of course, Washington coaches safeties for the Bulldogs.
For his part, Harrison told the crowd that Miller was “the nicest kid I’ve ever coached.” Of course, a big day for Miller was also a big day for Heritage Academy.
“We’ve been blessed with great kids over the years that are able to continue their careers and play in college,” Harrison said. “For the program, it’s just part of the proof of all of the great things that are happening over here and the kind of kids that we’re putting out.”
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