Damien Miller has spent the vast majority of his UAB career operating within the open spaces of the defensive backfield.

But there’s always time for a change.

The senior safety was introduced to the linebacker position during fall camp and a need to maximize depth has accelerated Miller’s development into a specific role on the UAB defense.

“It’s tough but it’s all about versatility,” Miller said. “I try to be as versatile as I can be. I hit the film real hard, I hit the install hard and I am the best I can be for my coaches and my team.”

Coming off a season-opening start at the star position, Miller is expected to make his linebacker debut as the Blazers face off against the high-volume offensive attack of Georgia Southern, Saturday, Sept. 9, at Allen E. Paulson Stadium in Statesboro.

“His presence will affect this defense and it’s been really valuable for us,” UAB head coach Trent Dilfer said. “He’s a hybrid athlete in general, which is a good thing, you want versatile athletes. (Bill) Belichick really is the one that kind of made that famous. It changed football when you could have universal athletes playing multiple positions. Damien has ability to play big. He can play fast, he can play little and gives us a lot of versatility.”

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Versatility has been the name of Miller’s game since his prep days at nearby Fairfield.

The Birmingham native was a prolific returner during his senior season, coming within earshot of tying the AHSAA single-season record of five, according to the online record book, and even impressed Cam Newton with his coverage skills during a 7-on-7 camp hosted by the former Auburn quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner.

Miller signed with UAB during the 2019 recruiting cycle, along with twin brother Damon, and made an immediate impact playing in 12 games his true freshman season. A redshirt followed, due to injury, and Miller has been a staple of the safety rotation the last two seasons, amassing 31 tackles and two fumble recoveries.

“I think it adds value to what we can do,” UAB secondary coach Kenneth Gilstrap said. “You can do so many more things dramatically with him there. That’s what it was about — it wasn’t his lack of ability to play safety, it was his ability to be able to play safety and linebacker. You look for those positions as players because of the matchups.”

Miller started practicing at linebacker during fall camp but ultimately started the season at safety when Keondre Swoops was ruled out for the opener against North Carolina A&T. The redshirt senior has continued to work at the position and finally finds himself in tune with the role, albeit with room to grow.

“Formational and personnel-wise, he’s still growing,” Dilfer said. “Obviously, he’d be the first to tell you that, but we’ve also allowed him the freedom to make some mistakes. We told him, when he made the change, that we understand there’s going to be some growing pains and we’re willing to go through those growing pains with you because we think you can be a dynamic player at that position.”

Miller has played in a fast-paced defensive scheme his entire career but there are subtle differences to making a move closer to the line of scrimmage. The key alteration to his play is reacting quickly, as opposed to having slightly more time to respond in the defensive backfield.

“Got to be disciplined, got to be different,” he said. “Got to have the right eyes, right feet and right hands every play. You can’t mess up because if you do, you’re going to be on your butt. It’s fun getting to tackle more and hit more.”

The experiment is long from concluding but the opportunity provides motivation to the rest of the defense but the decision was not made lightly. However, the benefits of Miller’s transition are already noticeable to the coaching staff.

“It’s also his veteran leadership,” Dilfer said. “He’s a mature guy who plays with a nice edge to him and there are a lot of advantages of having him in the middle of the defense. It also allows some of our younger guys to play in the nickel and dime packages. We started practicing at a much higher level defensively around the time he made that move.”

“I’m not saying that it’s the move but it was a chess piece we had to move to allow the defense to come together,” he added. “It was a brilliant move by (defensive coordinator) Sione (Ta’ufo’ou) and his staff and it’s really helped us grow.”

Miller’s experience in the secondary will no doubt pay dividends for a UAB defense seeking a repeat performance against Georgia Southern. The Blazers forced three turnovers a year ago and held the Eagles more than 100 yards below their final season average.

“They’re going to play their game and do what they do,” Miller said. “No matter what (formation) we’re in, they’re going to throw it quickly. Screens, draws, whenever they want to, but we got to get on them. I know they’re going to want to get us for what we did last year and they’re going to try to hit us pretty hard”