Secondary coach Jahmile Addae got into the coaching profession for situations like Dreshun Miller.

It’s easy to see why after the cornerback has overcome so much in such a short period of time.

The redshirt junior missed all of last season due to a knee injury and was forced to sit out away from the action on the field. That’s a difficult proposition for anybody, but especially a highly recruited junior college prospect that was expected to make an immediate splash on the field.

But while some would have been discouraged by what happened, Miller instead used that time to grow in the areas that he could still improve. Obviously on the field training was off the table after surgery, but he spent the bulk of his time becoming a better student of the game.

Equipped with plus size at 6-foot-1, 192-pounds, and a talent level that drew scholarships from many of the nation’s elite, his physical attributes were never in question. He just needed to catch up in other areas, namely his understanding, in order to become a complete option at the next level.

“It was probably his short coming, what he knew. He made really good use of last year not being able to play and really getting into the books,” Addae said.

The final results were quite noticeable especially when it came to the cornerback meeting room. Previously, Miller would go out of his way to avoid answering any questions that Addae would fire his way, but things soon flipped in a significant way.

“Now I have to preface the question with Dre don’t answer this,” Addae said. “Because I want to get an answer from somebody else because he’s so tuned in.”

On the field, Miller has played 94-percent of the snaps this season at one cornerback spot and has been one of the highest graded players on the entire Mountaineers defense.

He has been thrown at 21 times on the season but allowed only 9 completions for 74 yards on the year, 35 of which came on a touchdown pass against Kansas State where he was caught on a double move. Outside of that he has been a reliable, physical option on one side of the field.

There is a quiet confidence about him too, as Miller has been proactive at the position instead of reactive. A lot of that can be attributed to the work he is doing beforehand on opponents.

His 7 total pass breakups are almost half of the Mountaineers 15 total in that department, while he has recorded an interception as well showcasing how far he has come in such a short period of time. It’s something that Addae points to as the type of success story that makes you excited about coaching.

“From the time I came in until now is light years different from off the field to on the field,” Addae said. “He’s made quite the maturation in both areas. And he’s not done yet, there’s still quite a bit to be had.”

Addae understands that there is still room for Miller to grow if he wants to be where he could eventually be both at this level and in the future, but for now it’s about enjoying the ride. You don’t make these types of improvements without work and he certainly has put in that both on and off the field.

“I hope and pray he continues to go the way he is. He’s a fighter and he’s been competing his butt off this year and last year. This is the fruits of his labor,” Addae said.

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