Jackson State’s Aubrey Miller Jr. and Florida A&M’s Isaiah Land both got an opportunity to show what they could do at the Senior Bowl, and both players made the most of it.
The top two defenders in HBCU football over the past couple of seasons both had big showings on Saturday afternoon in Mobile, AL.
Miller Jr. registered seven total tackles in the Senior Bowl. Land had two total tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss and a sack while participating in the game on the American team alongside Miller Jr.
Land’s performance is even more impressive considering that he played as a middle linebacker after having spent his college career lining up as a defensive end.
Aubrey Miller Jr. was a four-star prospect out of high school in 2017. He played in ten games in 2018 collecting two tackles. In 2019 Miller suffered a knee injury early in the season and appeared in only one game picking up two tackles. He spent the rest of the season rehabbing his knee before opting out of the 2020 season and hitting the transfer portal.
Miller ended up landing at Jackson State as Deion Sanders was taking over the program. He was one of a handful of players who competed during Sanders’ entire tenure at JSU, from spring 2021 through fall 2022.
Land was a diamond in the rough for Florida A&M, who exploded in the 2021 season. He led the FCS in sacks with 19.5 and was named Buck Buchanan Award winner. After flirting with the transfer portal, Land decided to return for 2022. He put up 23 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, and eight sacks in nine games as he dealt with an MCL sprain.
Both players had a solid showing at the Senior Bowl, which can make the difference between being drafted or signing as a free agent.