Senior centerback Nolan Miller suffered a heartbreaking end to his final campaign for Michigan with a 1-0 loss at home against Notre Dame in the NCAA tournament.

However, Miller’s stellar season did not go unnoticed. The senior earned United Soccer Coaches All-North Region Second Team and Second Team All-Big Ten for his stellar performances throughout the season. On Thursday, Miller was drafted to Major League Soccer (MLS), selected ninth overall by Orlando City SC.

Miller started all 20 games in 2025, co-captaining the Wolverines to the fourth-most wins in program history and a Big Ten championship appearance. His contributions in build-up play, while also anchoring a sturdy Michigan defense that allowed the second fewest goals in the Big Ten, made it clear why Miller was the fifth Wolverine drafted in the first round of the MLS SuperDraft. 

For the Troy native, the journey to professional soccer began with fulfilling a childhood aspiration. Despite playing club soccer in Ohio for the Columbus Crew Developmental Academy, Miller always knew he wanted to play for Michigan. 

“I grew up in the area. I always wanted to go to Michigan,” Miller said. “They kept calling. I answered right away.”

This was the standard for Nolan Miller, starting in 75 matches for the Wolverines as a four-year starter. As a freshman, Miller led Michigan in minutes, racking up 1,408 minutes and earning a spot on the Big Ten All-Freshman team. He did the same the following year, accumulating a team-high 1,615 minutes, and was named Second Team All-Big Ten. In his senior year, Miller was far more prominent on the statsheet, scoring twice, including a game-winner against Creighton in August, and assisting twice in a career-high 1,736 minutes. On his senior night, Miller was stellar, shutting out Detroit Mercy in an emphatic 4-0 win to mark the occasion with a dominant performance defensively.

“Nolan Miller has been a man of consistency since freshman year,” Michigan coach Chaka Daley said. “He’s given a lot to the program and he deserves all the plaudits for everything he gets and the way in which he leads and competes.” 

Miller’s dominance in the air as well as his composure on the ball will provide a much needed pillar in Orlando’s defense. Just as his partnerships with junior defenders Will Baker and Matthew Fisher solidified Michigan’s backline, Miller will now pair alongside breakout star Alex Freeman to form the foundation of a retooled backline heading into the 2026 season.

While Nolan Miller’s tenure as a Wolverine is over, he leaves behind a legacy of consistency, dependability and leadership. Four years, 75 starts and nearly 6,500 minutes later, Miller departs Ann Arbor having set the standard for what it means to anchor Michigan’s backline. He is now ready to bring the same reliability to the professional stage in Orlando.

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