King Miller Might Be the Next Devy Running Back Riser
He is not a household name yet, but the tape says there may be something real brewing in the USC backfield.
Every offseason, there are a few players who force you to stop the tape and dig deeper. For me, USC running back King Miller has been one of those players.
He is not the biggest name in devy circles. He is not being treated like a premium asset yet. But when you turn on the tape, there are real flashes. The burst shows up. The contact balance shows up. The ability to create beyond structure shows up. And because Miller is a redshirt sophomore, the timeline matters too. He is eligible for the NFL Draft next season, which makes this more than just a deep future stash. This is the kind of profile I want to identify before the production fully arrives.
Who Is King Miller?
Miller is the exact type of player summer scouting is built for. He is not being priced like a major devy asset right now. He is not sitting at the top of every running back list. He was a three-star recruit and the No. 148 ranked running back in his class. He also arrived at USC as a walk-on, which probably kept him off the radar for a lot of devy managers. That might not last much longer.
Miller broke onto the scene in 2025 after injuries hit the USC running back room, and he took advantage of the opportunity. He rushed for 972 yards on 156 carries, averaged 6.2 yards per carry, and scored eight touchdowns. He also appeared in all 13 games, started seven, and added 16 receptions. The receiving production was not a major part of the profile yet, but the usage still matters because USC trusted him enough to keep him involved.
The production was not empty either. Miller had three 100-yard rushing games and earned All-Big Ten Honorable Mention. He was also named to The Athletic Freshman All-American Second Team and became a Burlsworth Trophy semifinalist. That is a pretty strong season for a player who entered the year as one of the more overlooked names in the room.
The Michigan game was the real “wait a second” moment. Miller ran for a career-high 158 yards on 18 carries with a touchdown, added two receptions, and finished with 217 all-purpose yards. That performance earned him Big Ten Freshman Player of the Week, Burlsworth Trophy Walk-On of the Week, Paul Hornung National Player of the Week, and Shaun Alexander Freshman Player of the Week. It was also believed to be the most rushing yards by a USC walk-on since at least the 1970s.
That is where the devy piece starts to get interesting. Miller is a redshirt sophomore in 2026, which means he is eligible for the NFL Draft next season. USC placed him on scholarship after the 2025 season, and now he enters 2026 as a player with real momentum in a backfield that still has questions to sort through.
This is not about pretending Miller is already a locked-in NFL prospect. That is not the point. The point is that the market usually waits for permission. It waits for depth charts, beat reports, box scores, and draft buzz. Miller already gave us enough in 2025 to start paying attention before all of that happens. When a former walk-on gives you 972 rushing yards, 6.2 yards per carry, eight touchdowns, three 100-yard games, and legitimate flashes on tape, you at least have to ask the question. What if this is not just a good story? What if there is a real devy asset hiding in the USC backfield?
What Popped on Tape?
The production is what makes you stop and look. The tape is what makes you stay there. Miller is not just a fun story. There are real traits here. The kind of traits that make you pause the film, rewind the play, and start asking whether the market is missing something. Out of all the 2027 running backs not named Jaden Baugh, Kewan Lacy, and Ahmad Hardy; Miller’s tape was my favorite in this off-season. Here’s what I saw.
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