King Miller never looked like a player who was waiting for permission.
At Calabasas High, he delivered a senior season that would normally have college coaches lining up: 1,587 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns. The offers still never came. For a back now getting plenty of attention at USC, that part of the story matters almost as much as what he’s done on the field since.
Miller arrived at USC as a walk-on and quickly turned into one of the more compelling names in a program loaded with former four- and five-star talent. That kind of environment can swallow up players who arrived without a scholarship. Miller didn’t sound bothered by any of it when he spoke with Lorenzo Reyna of USC Trojans on SI.
"I wouldn't say it was frustrating at all," Miller began. "Everything was a lesson.
Especially when you feel like you have a lot more talent than what you see all around you. Including the guys getting recruited."
That mindset carried him through the recruiting process and into USC, where he bet on himself rather than waiting for a better offer that never arrived. Once he got his chances, he made them count fast.
He broke out early against Missouri State, running four times for 80 yards and a touchdown in mop-up duty. The next week against Georgia Southern, he added 18.3 yards per game and scored again. Then came the performance that made the rest of college football take notice.
On Oct. 11 against Michigan, Miller ripped through the Wolverines for 18 carries and 158 yards in USC’s 31-13 win. He followed that with three more 100-yard games, all against Big Ten opponents: 129 yards against Nebraska, 127 against Northwestern and 124 against UCLA.
"It put me here," Miller said, smiling on his journey to USC. "Can't really complain when you're here."
Even with that surge, Miller sounds convinced there’s more in the tank. He enters 2025 with a more experienced offensive line in front of him, and he pointed to the group’s strong connection with the backfield. USC did lose center Kilian O'Connor, but Tobias Raymond is expected to move into that spot.
Miller also says the game has slowed down for him. He believes he’s seeing coverages and formations more clearly now than he did in high school, and he views last season as just the beginning.
"Stepping point for me," Miller said. "I just want to grow and grow. There's no limits to what I want to do."
In Other News...
USC May Be Closing In On Lincoln Rileys Next QB Of The Future
USC appears to be making a move well ahead of schedule at the quarterback position, and the latest name tied to Lincoln Rileys pipeline is Texas prospect Trey Wright. A three-star recruit from Lone Star High in Frisco, Wright has picked up attention from a wide range of programs, with Colorado, Oregon, UCLA, Michigan, TCU and SMU all in the mix as he weighs his next step.
National recruiting insider Steve Wiltfong reports that Wright is expected to land with the Trojans, which would give USC another potential long-term answer under center to develop for the future. For a program that has built much of its identity around elite quarterback play, getting ahead of a crowded recruiting race could matter just as much as the commitment itself. [Read more 🡒]
USCs Next Wave At Receiver Is Already Turning Heads
Fall camp is giving USC a first real look at the receiver rooms next chapter, and the attention has naturally shifted to the players who could help fill the void left by departures to the NFL. Among the names drawing interest are sophomore Tanook Hines, who already has college experience, and freshman Ethan Boobie Feaster, whose arrival came with the sort of recruiting buzz that follows a highly ranked prospect into August.
Both have flashed the kind of physical tools that fit what USC wants to do on offense, which is why they are already being mentioned as possible major contributors by the 2026 season. It is still early, of course, but the encouraging part for the Trojans is that the next wave at receiver does not look like a waiting project, and camp is starting to show that the transition in that group may come faster than expected. [Read more 🡒]
USC Heads Into Scrimmage With One Crucial Offensive Line Job Unsettled
USC is set to get a longer look at itself in a closed scrimmage at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, a useful checkpoint for Lincoln Riley as kickoff approaches. The staff is trying to sort out readiness and depth across the roster, and nowhere is that more important than up front, where the Trojans have had to keep searching for the right combination as camp rolls on.
Kaylon Miller has been among the linemen drawing attention for his progress, and the center competition has become one of the more important pieces of the preseason puzzle. With the offense still working through that spot, this scrimmage should give USC a clearer sense of who can handle the job and who is ready to step in when the games start to count. [Read more 🡒]