Hope College offensive lineman Kemper Millis cracks a smile on the sideline on November 8, at Ray and Sue Smith Stadium in Holland.
(Photo | Scott DeCamp)
By Scott DeCamp
LocalSportsJournal.com
HOLLAND – A peek at the historical tab for Kemper Millis’ bio on the Hope College football website reveals a bit of a transformation in his face from freshman year in 2022 to the current status in 2025.
That doesn’t really tell the story of how much the 6-foot-1, 315-pound junior starting left offensive guard has matured during his time at Hope since arriving from Mona Shores.
Take it from Flying Dutchmen head coach Peter Stuursma, who offered insight following his team’s recent 52-0 victory over rival Calvin at Ray and Sue Smith Stadium.
“Kemper from his freshman year until now has grown up in so many ways – football, grades, academics, socially … he’s a leader,” Stuursma said. “Before the game, he and I just kind of made eye contact and he kind of gave me one of those little looks and you knew he was going to go compete because that’s what he comes from. He comes from a situation and a system that competes, and I love the way he competes.”
Or, take it from Hunter Thompson, who is Hope’s offensive line coach and recruiting coordinator.
“I mean, he’s grown tremendously. He had an injury early on in his career that kind of set him back for a full year and just the emotional, the mental, the physical growth that he’s done over the past three, four years, has really been incredible,” Thompson said. “I couldn’t be more proud of the kid. He’s a leader of the offensive line, he works his tail off every day, on and off the field, in the classroom, and in the weight room.”
Millis learned many of those lessons at Mona Shores, where he was part of back-to-back Division 2 state championship teams in 2019 and 2020.
At Hope, he has built upon that sturdy foundation.
This is his second season as a starting offensive linemen for the Flying Dutchmen, who won the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association last season and won an NCAA Division III playoff game in an 11-1 campaign.
Millis is accustomed to winning football games: Mona Shores was 24-2 in his junior and senior seasons with the Sailors. According to Millis, the culture at Mona Shores and Hope is similar, too.
“You know, very cohesive team, everyone’s bought in – kind of a player-led team,” Millis said about the similarities between Mona Shores and Hope. “Coach K (Mona Shores coach Matt Koziak) and everyone there is amazing and kind of set me up for success.”
“(At Hope, the keys are) control what we can control and show up. Coach Stuursma always preaches to show up, so I think a combination of those two is kind of what keeps us going.”
In the second all-time meeting between Hope and Calvin, the Flying Dutchmen started quickly and just kept going.
The Dutch offense featured great balance against the Knights, as it amassed 260 yards along the ground and 297 through the air. Millis played a role in that.
“He’s a technician,” Thompson said. “He has unbelievable technique, he’s extremely powerful, and he just does everything right.”
Attention to detail is key at all levels of football, and Millis has learned that as he’s progressed through his career.
The Hope and Calvin rosters feature several players from the tradition-rich, hard-nosed Muskegon area, and that’s no coincidence.
“(Muskegon-area players) compete. They love to compete. They love to compete,” Stuursma said, putting even more emphasis on the word “love” the second time. “We will always spend a lot of time there because it’s 35 minutes down the lakeshore, similar community, similar feel, West Michigan, if you will. They love to compete and we love guys that love to compete.”
Added Thompson: “Coach Koziak does an unbelievable job at Mona and we recruit winners. We recruit dudes that love to play football, love to win, they compete – they compete with everything that they do.”
Millis has found his groove academically and socially as well, as Stuursma stated.
Millis is pursuing a degree in business and sports studies. He said he’d like to manage some sort of sports program in the future.
He’s convinced more now than ever that Hope was the right choice for him.
“Honestly, it’s been one of the best things of my life,” Millis said. “Coming here was such a big blessing and everyone here has just been awesome to me. It’s just been one of the best things to happen to me.
“Professors, coaches, everyone involved is just great people. And, also, after school they provide a lot of networking and connections to get jobs and stuff like that.”
Following the victory over Calvin, when Hope players and coaches were milling about the field and visiting with family, friends, and recruits, Millis took a moment to reconnect with Mona Shores athletic director Jack Nummerdor, who is a former Hope lineman in his own right.
Millis certainly has not forgotten his roots and for good reason.
“Koziak’s one of the best high school coaches in the United States – I believe that truly,” Stuursma said. “Kemper comes from great coaching (and) a great community and just, I love the big fella.”
LocalSportsJournal.com
HOLLAND – A peek at the historical tab for Kemper Millis’ bio on the Hope College football website reveals a bit of a transformation in his face from freshman year in 2022 to the current status in 2025.
That doesn’t really tell the story of how much the 6-foot-1, 315-pound junior starting left offensive guard has matured during his time at Hope since arriving from Mona Shores.
Take it from Flying Dutchmen head coach Peter Stuursma, who offered insight following his team’s recent 52-0 victory over rival Calvin at Ray and Sue Smith Stadium.
“Kemper from his freshman year until now has grown up in so many ways – football, grades, academics, socially … he’s a leader,” Stuursma said. “Before the game, he and I just kind of made eye contact and he kind of gave me one of those little looks and you knew he was going to go compete because that’s what he comes from. He comes from a situation and a system that competes, and I love the way he competes.”
Or, take it from Hunter Thompson, who is Hope’s offensive line coach and recruiting coordinator.
“I mean, he’s grown tremendously. He had an injury early on in his career that kind of set him back for a full year and just the emotional, the mental, the physical growth that he’s done over the past three, four years, has really been incredible,” Thompson said. “I couldn’t be more proud of the kid. He’s a leader of the offensive line, he works his tail off every day, on and off the field, in the classroom, and in the weight room.”
Millis learned many of those lessons at Mona Shores, where he was part of back-to-back Division 2 state championship teams in 2019 and 2020.
At Hope, he has built upon that sturdy foundation.
This is his second season as a starting offensive linemen for the Flying Dutchmen, who won the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association last season and won an NCAA Division III playoff game in an 11-1 campaign.
Millis is accustomed to winning football games: Mona Shores was 24-2 in his junior and senior seasons with the Sailors. According to Millis, the culture at Mona Shores and Hope is similar, too.
“You know, very cohesive team, everyone’s bought in – kind of a player-led team,” Millis said about the similarities between Mona Shores and Hope. “Coach K (Mona Shores coach Matt Koziak) and everyone there is amazing and kind of set me up for success.”
“(At Hope, the keys are) control what we can control and show up. Coach Stuursma always preaches to show up, so I think a combination of those two is kind of what keeps us going.”
In the second all-time meeting between Hope and Calvin, the Flying Dutchmen started quickly and just kept going.
The Dutch offense featured great balance against the Knights, as it amassed 260 yards along the ground and 297 through the air. Millis played a role in that.
“He’s a technician,” Thompson said. “He has unbelievable technique, he’s extremely powerful, and he just does everything right.”
Attention to detail is key at all levels of football, and Millis has learned that as he’s progressed through his career.
The Hope and Calvin rosters feature several players from the tradition-rich, hard-nosed Muskegon area, and that’s no coincidence.
“(Muskegon-area players) compete. They love to compete. They love to compete,” Stuursma said, putting even more emphasis on the word “love” the second time. “We will always spend a lot of time there because it’s 35 minutes down the lakeshore, similar community, similar feel, West Michigan, if you will. They love to compete and we love guys that love to compete.”
Added Thompson: “Coach Koziak does an unbelievable job at Mona and we recruit winners. We recruit dudes that love to play football, love to win, they compete – they compete with everything that they do.”
Millis has found his groove academically and socially as well, as Stuursma stated.
Millis is pursuing a degree in business and sports studies. He said he’d like to manage some sort of sports program in the future.
He’s convinced more now than ever that Hope was the right choice for him.
“Honestly, it’s been one of the best things of my life,” Millis said. “Coming here was such a big blessing and everyone here has just been awesome to me. It’s just been one of the best things to happen to me.
“Professors, coaches, everyone involved is just great people. And, also, after school they provide a lot of networking and connections to get jobs and stuff like that.”
Following the victory over Calvin, when Hope players and coaches were milling about the field and visiting with family, friends, and recruits, Millis took a moment to reconnect with Mona Shores athletic director Jack Nummerdor, who is a former Hope lineman in his own right.
Millis certainly has not forgotten his roots and for good reason.
“Koziak’s one of the best high school coaches in the United States – I believe that truly,” Stuursma said. “Kemper comes from great coaching (and) a great community and just, I love the big fella.”
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