Aug. 21, 2016
By Charles Goldberg
AuburnTigers.com
AUBURN, Ala. -- Malik Miller and Kerryon Johnson have done this before. They were teammates at Madison Academy, shared the running back job there, encouraged each other to succeed.
Oh, and they did succeed.
Miller and Johnson helped Madison Academy to three straight state football titles, and now they are together again at Auburn planning to share the football, and, they hope, more success.
Miller, a freshman, joined Johnson, a sophomore, on the Auburn roster in the spring, and they quickly renewed their bond.
"I look over on the sidelines, and there's KJ coaching him up like I would be," said Auburn offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee in the spring. "I think it's been really good to have KJ and Malik together again. I think they're both team guys first, which is probably why they won so many championships at Madison Academy. And they're very much team-first guys here."
Johnson is Auburn's leading returning rusher on a team that lost its top three rushers from last season. Miller figures to get in the mix this time around, perhaps as early as the season-opener against Clemson on Sept. 3. That's not a problem for the two old friends.
"We've known each other for a very long time," Miller said. "Our brothers played together. We've been together since we were 7 years old. So we've always been competition with each other, but at the end of the day, we're friends."
Miller, then at Madison Academy, said it was easy to root for Johnson last season.
"Seeing him have a great season last year, that's kind of just inspiration. If he can do it, I can do it.
"I went from playing right next to the guy to seeing him on TV, coming in a true freshman and making plays. I was just kind of like, 'Hey, I was with that guy. Me and him played together. We both made plays on this level. I can come in and do the same things he did.'"
Miller says he's ready for his first season. And says he benefited by arriving early to participate in spring practice.
"Spring was brand new and all fast to me as a blur," he said. "I'm more comfortable with the offense and doing less thinking and more playing out there. This is the SEC. Competition is every single day. Kerryon and I are good friends but that's competition. It's a good friendship among us. We're all friends and we realize somebody has to be No. 1, but we also all have to be there for each other."
How does each see the other?
"Kerryon is a competitor," Miller said. "He doesn't need anybody to push him. Once he steps on the field, he's ready to go."
"Malik is a big guy," Johnson said, "but he can also move. He's done a fantastic job. Through the summer he trained very hard. I think he's been probably the most improved guy overall out of the entire group.
"He's really getting the offense quickly. He's learning that everybody on the team has a role. He's just trying to figure out his role for the season and where he fits in. I'm sure he will and when he does that he'll be a really good force for us."
Charles Goldberg is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: Follow @AUGoldMine