Cheer Coach Nikki Mills will be entering her eleventh season with the Ospreys this year. 

Mills joined the University of North Florida in 2013 as the assistant coach and left at the end of the 2017 season. But in 2021, Mills made her comeback as the assistant coach for one season, and then became the head coach of the team the next season. Mills has been with UNF ever since. 

Becoming a coach

Mills grew up with cheerleading in her life in a couple of aspects. Growing up, she did competitive cheerleading, and once she hit high school, she joined the team there as well. But it didn’t stop there. Once Mills started college, she competed on teams for both the University of Florida and the University of South Florida for a collective six years. She also worked for the National Cheerleading Association (NCA).

“Once I cheered collegiately and experienced the environment on both ends, cheering and working as NCA staff, I fell in love with school-based cheering,” she said.

The University of North Florida is where she applied to get her doctorate, got in, and that is how she was led to the Osprey community. 

How Mills guides development

When Mills accepted the position as head coach, she knew how she wanted to coach her team. 

With UNF being a Division 1 school, Mills knows that the team is still “mid-market.” She knows that her team can be seen as, and even feel like, the underdogs. 

“The thing that I try to address every year is that we belong,” Mills said. “I do not want them to have imposter syndrome. It is easy to look at what other bigger schools have, but essentially our team is talented too.”

When looking for new athletes to join the team, Mills does not just look for talent. The team does a lot of in-house training, growth, and development to get to where they are. Just like other athletic teams here at UNF, cheer wants to make it known that they work hard, too.

“It’s easy to look at our team and to think they have got it all,” she said. “But, outside of our own competitive journey, the team cheers for volleyball, basketball, have weight practices, and are even full-time students. The cheerleading team does not have an in-season reduction of hours like the other sports have.”

Mills wants the community to know that the cheerleading team will always be there when asked. If the university needs them for an event, they will be there. The athletes are very committed to their community. 

On top of all of this hard work, the team does not receive scholarships. This means that the team has to find a way to pay for what they need, such as uniforms,  travel expenses, etc. Mills makes it clear that she does not ask for a dollar from her athletes. The team raises money and finds ways to get their season paid for. 

Last season

During the 2024-2025 season, the Osprey cheer team made history. When competing at Nationals in Daytona Beach, the team came in third place, medaling. What was known as the “fourth-place curse” within the program was finally broken. 

“To be able to break that curse and make a name for ourselves that we are able to be top contenders as well was great,” said Mills. 

Even with all the teams she has coached here at UNF, Mills said that moment, when they broke into the top three, was her favorite memory so far at the University. 

What to expect

This season, the team is feeling the effects and nerves of coming off such a great season the year before, but they are prepared. 

This year, the team plans to push the limit. The team is known for its special pyramid sections, which is when athletes will flip on top of each other, essentially building a human pyramid. The team knows that if they are able to flip and release to get somewhere in the pyramid, they will. 

“It is a lot of pressure to put something on the floor that is going to bring success but also check the boxes for people who have watched us over the years, as well as our own,” she said. 

Within the routine, the team will hit five different structures in the pyramid, with elite transitions between them. This consists of front flips, back flips, spins, and more. The team was actually one of the first teams to collegiately have back flips in their structures. They are pushing the envelope on how to get from one structure to another.

“If we are going to put something on the floor, it is great technique and extended stretches,” said Mills. “We don’t want any gray area of our stunts not being perfect.”

This season, the community can expect a very fast and exciting routine from the team. Mills plans to have this season be a great example of the team evolving. 

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