Senior Spotlight: Kishawn Miller

RALEIGH, N.C. - Kishawn Miller started his collegiate career in a different fashion than most players—waking up at the crack of dawn to put on a collared shirt tucked in with a tie, followed by saluting the American flag.

The Buffalo, N.Y., native attended Georgia Military College in Milledgeville, Ga., for two years to focus on academics before making his way to NC State.

"Coaches knew I wasn't going to be eligible coming out of high school due to my grades," said Miller. "Not too many people wanted to get involved and take that risk.

"Another disadvantage in my recruitment was that I sat out my junior year and played junior varsity my freshman and sophomore years, so I didn't play and didn't have much film."

Dreaming of playing Division I football since he came remember, watching the opportunity slip away due to grades gave him the wakeup call he needed.

"Being ineligible really opened my eyes because in high school it was all about football to me," said Miller. "I feel like I'm a funny guy, and in high school I wasn't focused on the right things in terms of the academics. At the time I was just thinking football was going to get me to where I needed to be.

"It's definitely not all about football—it's also about school. That's something I had to learn the hard way. What I went through has guided me to enjoy the all-around process of being a student-athlete at the highest level."

Going through that experience, Miller is able to appreciate the resources he has been given as a part of the Wolfpack football program.

"When I was in junior college, I had to fend for myself," said Miller. "There were no tutors that sat with you for an hour for each subject of every class you had.

"When I got here, I had a whole bunch of help and resources and I took advantage of all that help that I had. I felt like I understood that I couldn't play around with my grades because I would not be able to play."

Miller's mindset towards the classroom paid off when he was named to the ACC Academic Honors Roll in 2018.

After achieving his goal of graduating from Georgia Military College, Miller's hopes of playing Division I football almost came to an unexpected close before he even stepped on NC State's campus.

"My last game of my junior college career I tore my ACL in my left knee," said Miller. "I was already committed here, and Coach Doeren could have gone back on his word and given the scholarship to somebody else, but he didn't. He stuck by his word. I will always be grateful to him for that.

"There was a time when I was looking at the television wanting to compete at this level, and for the staff to have faith in me with my injury coming in is a blessing. It has changed my life. At the end of the day, this is a family. That's what Coach Doeren always preaches. There's no other family I'd rather be a part of."

Players Mentioned

Kishawn Miller

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