Jam Miller reveals he models his game after Mark Ingram

The 2025 season will be the fourth for Jam Miller at Alabama and will be his second playing in the Kalen DeBoer offense. It’s a season where he’s hoping to break out and become one of the best backs in the country, helping to boost an offense that will have a new starting quarterback.

Ahead of the season, Miller is doing everything he can to improve. That includes going back and watching other Alabama running backs, like Mark Ingram, to pick up what they did to make themselves special.

“Mark Ingram,” Jam Miller said. “Mark Ingram, you know, watching some of his film when he was here. He was a great back. Just watching him, I try to learn some of the things he does, and also put it in my game.”

Ingram played at Alabama from 2008 to 2010, winning the Heisman Trophy in the process. During that career, he’d carry the ball 572 times for 3,261 yards, or 5.7 yards per attempt, and 42 touchdowns. A threat in the passing game, he also had 60 career receptions for 670 receiving yards and another four passing touchdowns.

Today, Miller has the opportunity to go back and watch film from Ingram’s playing days. There’s certainly plenty to learn from that tape, even if it’s now over a decade since Ingram made himself into an Alabama legend.

“He was great at making people miss. He was being physical,” Miller said. “Breaking arm tackles, breaking tackles. Just doing a whole lot of great things on the field.”

For his part, Jam Miller is coming off a year where he rushed for 668 yards and seven touchdowns. Now, he’s hoping to break out as the Crimson Tide’s primary back. Certainly, expectations are high. Going into the season, he was selected to the Doak Walker Award watch list. With a new quarterback taking over and some questions at that position, the Alabama offense is likely going to rely on Miller for consistent production.

Kalen DeBoer outlines Alabama’s running back room behind Jam Miller

While Jam Miller is hoping to break out in 2025, he’s not alone in the Alabama running back room. That was a unit that Kalen DeBoer recently broke down with Fall Camp now underway.

“Sure, you’ve got Rich Young, Daniel Hill coming back also. I feel like those guys were healthier than they probably ever were last season, throughout the year. Then Dre, Dre Washington. I thought he had a really nice practice today. You can see a new guy that’s come in and now you’re seeing the install a second, third time from spring, summer, to fall. Just like we were talking about with the quarterback position and how it’s clicking more. So, he’s got himself right in the mix there, for sure as we kind of narrow it down,” DeBoer said.

“There’s skill sets. There’s different things that each guy brings. Body types are a little bit different. But, in the end, it’s not like someone is so much different to where it affects who’s in there. We’re just teaching them all the offense. Especially when you get into all the padded and the physicality and the tackling pieces. That’s a big part of it is being able to break tackles and get into there and protect for the quarterback and do a great job of it. So, they’re all competing. But really, that’s probably where it’s at with those guys, and they’re all doing a good job.”