Ventrell Miller using platform to raise money for Hurricane Ian relief
Welcome to Good Morning Gators, where we cover the latest news, notes and analysis on Florida athletics. Join us each morning to get caught up on everything in the world of Florida football, UF recruiting, Gators basketball, Florida baseball and more.
Florida linebacker Ventrell Miller launched his foundation this week, Millerville Foundation Inc., and his first program is raising money for Hurricane Ian relief.
Miller started a GoFundMe account on Wednesday with a goal of raising $200,000. He received more than $3,000 in donations within the first 12 hours.
Miller will be donating some of his money earned through name, image and likeness. He said his brother has been encouraging to start a foundation and use his NIL platform. The devastation in Southwest Florida from Hurricane Ian was a call to action for Miller.
“Just seeing it, those people got impacted hard. Flooded, houses lost, all different kinds of things those people are going through. I felt some type of way for them. I felt like it was my job to try to come do something to help,” Miller said after Wednesday’s practice. “For my foundation, we’re just promoting it to the down south, people who got hit the most. That’s who we are donating all the funds to, those people.”
Millerville Foundation Inc. will have a tent set up near Gator Walk on Saturday for fans who would like to donate in person. Florida coach Billy Napier is proud of Miller for taking the initiative to give back with his NIL funds.
Top 10
- 1
RIP Ben
Kirk Herbstreit announces dog's passing
- 2Breaking
Billy Napier
Florida to retain head coach
- 3
Livvy Dunne - Paul Skenes
ESPN College GameDay Guest Pickers
- 4
Live Tiger returns
LSU set to bring back real tiger vs. Alabama
- 5Live
Florida fans react
Gators faithful react to Billy Napier news
“It doesn’t surprise me. Ventrell is as good a human being as I’ve been around. What makes him special to me is he actually has a significant care of other people,” Napier said. “He’s walking around living life, and he’s got enough wisdom and perspective to realize that there’s other people out there, and he’s not consumed with himself. He’s actually thinking about the people around him. He’s doing good things for other people now. He’s making a difference now. He’ll do that the rest of his life. That’s who he is.”
SUBSCRIBE TO THE GATORS ONLINE YOUTUBE PAGE
In other Florida football news
- Breaking down the Florida Gators’ Week 6 depth chart for Saturday’s homecoming game.
- Senior safety Trey Dean III is back from injury and will be in the starting lineup Saturday.
- Florida quarterback Jack Miller on the mend, still listed as questionable against Missouri.
- Fifth Quarter: Gators Online provides an in-depth breakdown of Florida’s win over EWU.
UF recruiting roundup
- Priority Gators defensive tackle target Kayden McDonald is set to visit Gainesville again.
- On300 offensive tackle Fletcher Westphal receives the green light from UF OC Rob Sale.
- The No. 1-ranked wide receiver for 2024, Joshisa Trader, is set to visit Florida in October.
- A top-three athlete in the Class of 2024 has scheduled his second visit to see the Gators.
Gators sports roundup
- The Gators are ranked the No. 4 team in college baseball heading into the 2023 season.
Let’s keep talking
Want to keep the conversation going? Head over to our Florida message board, Swamp Talk. Sign up here and join the discussion.
Also, you can sign up for Gators Online’s FREE Newsletter to have the latest in Gators sports sent directly to your mailbox every day.
Gators Twitter updates
- Marcus Castro-Walker discusses the impact of GatorMade:
- First career touchdowns for Jalen Kitna and Caleb Douglas:
