Baby Gronk named him after the football coach and commentator, John Madden. Jake has stated that he planned out Miguel's life prior to his birth, claiming to have had a blueprint for his son's life at ages 15–16. In a TMZ interview in 2023, he stated that his goal was for his son to become a millionaire by his son’s senior year of high school "with or without football". Miguel reportedly became involved in football during pre-school at age 5, after seeing football videos on YouTube.

Miguel uses the nickname "Baby Gronk" in reference to football player Rob Gronkowski, an NFL tight end. The question regarding the origin of the nickname has been answered with conflicting accounts; in 2021, Miguel stated that the nickname was coined by classmates during recess while they were chasing him, while Jake alleged in the same year that it came from when he was visiting Miguel's school and saw that he had an adult chair instead of a children's chair. However, in 2022, Miguel stated the moniker was coined by his father after he dragged his opponents in a game to the end zone after a reception.

In 2021, age eight, he was said to have committed to the University of Oregon,[11] although he has since claimed to have committed to and decommitted from many others.[12][13][14] According to NCAA recruiting rules, Division I coaches cannot offer verbal agreements to students until after June 15th of their high school sophomore year.