The weeks leading up to the MLS SuperDraft were filled with tension for Nolan Miller. The Michigan defender had no idea where he would end up. Columbus, the club he played for in MLS Next, seemed likely, but during the pre-draft process, other teams showed interest as well. 

“There were a couple of weeks full of uncertainty,” Miller told OrlandoCitySC.com. “Then Orlando kept calling, and I answered.”

The conversations with Orlando’s coaching staff made it clear that the Lions were looking for a specific profile: a center back who can play out of the back with his feet and can help command the back line. Miller, who had just captained Michigan through two years of Big Ten championship contention, seemed to fit that bill.

“I felt the interest,” he said. “I felt the personality, the way they wanted to play and the way I play mesh together really well. I knew they were looking for a ball-playing center back, and that’s what I am—a ball-playing center back with some real leadership under my belt, even as a young player going through the college system at Michigan. I knew that’s what they wanted, and I knew I could provide that.”

It took a few years for Miller to hone in on what made him the player he is today. His first years at Michigan were difficult, with the team struggling to find consistent results. 

“The longer I stayed, the more tenured I got, the more I kind of grew that system up and grew with players around me that were my age,” he said. “By the last couple of years, we were contending for Big Ten championships year after year.”

That commitment to Michigan came during an era when college soccer players increasingly explore transfer portals and NIL opportunities. Miller had chances to leave but chose to stay invested in the program and the people around him.

“It’s the greatest decision I ever made not to leave,” Miller said. “I didn’t need NIL money. I just needed the trust of some coaches, some staff, and me really putting my trust in them to build a team with me and around me.”

Miller finished his college career with 75 games and 75 starts, developing both his technical skills and his leadership. The team around him thrived as well, with the Wolverines tallying the fourth-most wins in program history in 2025. 

“That’s the coolest thing,” he said. “It’s not just me building up the program, it’s the staff, it’s the other players, even kids my age that aren’t playing anymore but still were involved in a real part of the progression of younger kids. So it’s everyone around me, but there’s so much pride. To not give that back to them would be a disservice.”

Miller’s ball-playing style has roots in his development with the Columbus Crew academy, where playing out of the back and absorbing pressure were emphasized from the jump. Those fundamentals carried through his college career and now into the professional ranks with Orlando.

For most rookies coming out of college, the adjustment to the professional game can be the biggest challenge. The speed of play is much faster, with less time for decisions. There are teammates from various countries and backgrounds bringing different approaches to the game. 

“I’ve never been in a team with so many different cultures and different ideas about how to play the game come together,” he said. “The speed of thought is the biggest difference. How quickly these guys are thinking, playing and moving. It’s been great. If you’re not changing, you’re not evolving.”

Even with that in mind, Miller feels prepared for the professional level. He is a true student of the game who wants to get better, play games and win. All of that starts with having the right mindset from the get-go.

“I’ll tell you this, I’m the biggest guy in my mindset,” he said. “If you start thinking, ‘Wow, this is a big jump,’ it will be a big jump. But I tell myself I belong every day. I belong at this level. I know I belong. I’m mentally there, I’m physically there, and if I’m not there today, I’m going to be there tomorrow.”

That mindset is one of the reasons that the Orlando City coaching staff chose Miller with the ninth overall pick in this year’s MLS SuperDraft. Not only has he walked the walk, but he believes he’s ready to talk the talk as a pro.

“You tell yourself anything over and over again,” he said, “you’ll believe it.”