When he introduces himself to his new teammates, Dante Miller always lists three distinct parts of his personal journey.
He is from what he describes as a “small town’’ — Rockingham, N.C. He went to Columbia for four years. He then played, briefly, at South Carolina. It is after he recounts his college résumé that the inevitable reactions emerge.
“You tell them about Columbia, and they automatically assume you’re super-smart and these different type of things,’’ Miller told The Post recently, “and then you say ‘South Carolina’ and they go, ‘Oh.’’ So you get the best of both worlds when it comes to that.’’
There is little about Miller that is typical.
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He is a rookie, but not the usual rookie, in that he is 24 years old.
He thought he could play for the Gameco*cks for two seasons, but that turned out not to be the case.
He was not allowed to enter the 2024 draft. Most of his college career was spent on the Upper West Side of Manhattan — Morningside Heights, to be exact — and that is not a place that spawns much talent to flow into the NFL.
Miller is a long shot to stick with the Giants, a short (5-foot-9) but not small (200 pounds) running back who was signed April 5. Perhaps the new kickoff rules give him an edge.
The Giants took Tyrone Tracy Jr. in the fifth round of the draft, and Tracy, like Miller, is also an older rookie at 24.
Devin Singletary was signed to fill the starting void at the position created when Saquon Barkley moved on to the Eagles. Gary Brightwell, Eric Gray and Jashaun Corbin return from the 2023 roster.
Miller is going to have to get busy and impress a whole bunch of coaches to carve a spot for himself on. Perhaps the new kickoff rules give him an edge. the depth chart or the practice squad.
If he does, it will be shocking to some, but not to him.
“No doubt in my mind I can play at this level,’’ he said. “Not even a doubt.’’
Miller out of high school committed to play at James Madison, but he de-committed and decided to go to Columbia — at the time explaining he wanted to make a decision based on the next 40 years and not the next four years of his life.
In 26 games at Columbia, Miller ran for 1,281 yards and six touchdowns. Along the way, he learned how to deal with a completely new environment that he called “a world-changer.’’
He had to get used to seeing so many people all the time. He took a 45-minute bus ride every day to practice, from 116th Street to 218th Street.
“And if you wanted to take the subway, you could do that,’’ Miller said. “But freshman year you weren’t taking the subway, for sure.’’
City life agreed with him during his three years living on campus and a senior year in an apartment on 109th Street. A self-described foodie, he enjoyed dining out and walks and bike rides in Central Park.
Miller graduated with a degree in sociology and received his Masters in sports management. He is only a few classes away from his MBA.
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As a freshman, his first college touchdown was an 83-yard breakout against Central Connecticut State. A teammate, linebacker Jalen Williams, was impressed. “Dang, Turbo!’’ he exclaimed. Running backs coach Joe D’Orazio embraced the nickname. “Lil’ Turbo’’ was born.
Miller as a graduate transfer walked on at South Carolina in 2022, with he and the school believing he had two years of eligibility remaining. In six games, he had six rushing attempts for 38 yards.
As it turned out, because his 2020 season at Columbia was canceled by the COVID-19 pandemic, he had only one year of eligibility at South Carolina.
The NCAA took so long to determine Miller was ineligible to play in 2023 that the news came after the deadline for him to declare for the 2023 draft. Essentially, he was already technically a free agent, thus could not be included in the 2024 draft.
He was undeterred.
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“You look at the film and you see an explosive person,’’ Miller said. “Wherever I go, that’s what I bring to the table, I bring explosive plays, because that’s the name of my game.’’
Miller can squat around 700 pounds ,and at South Carolina’s Pro Day he ripped off a 4.27 40-yard dash and completed 28 reps on the 225-pound bench press — faster and more powerful than any running back at the 2024 NFL scouting combine.
No wonder he still goes by “Turbo’’ — the “Lil’ ‘’ prefix has been dropped.
“You can say the size thing, but you won’t find a back that’s bigger than me that’s stronger than me, because I’m strong. I’m very strong.
“I’m not one of those guys — I don’t smoke, I don’t drink or do any of those types of things. I feel like if you do what you need to do you reap the benefits of that.’’
