LARAMIE, Wyo.—You see it all the time.
An unknown walk-on puts up big numbers in the spring or in fall camp. Yet when the season begins, you never hear or see that guy do much of anything.
Brandon Miller hopes he’s not that guy.
Miller walked on as a receiver in 2009 as a true freshman out of Mountain Vista High in Parker, Colo. He redshirted then, and he was pretty far down the depth chart when the 2010 season started.
Injuries at running back forced the coaches to move Miller, and in six games, he had five carries for 22 yards.
About a week before the spring semester started, he got a call from UW running backs coach Jason Ray, who told him to call head coach Dave Christensen.
“I was kind of suspicious about that,” Miller said.
Miller made the call, and Christensen told him he was one of three walk-ons to earn a scholarship for 2011.
“I was pretty excited about that,” he added.
Miller remained at running back and saw a lot of action this spring with injuries to juniors Alvester Alexander and Ghaali Muhammad.
Miller and sophomore Nehemie Kankolongo were the only two healthy running backs on scholarship this spring.
“He hasn’t done it against the backups; he’s played against the (starting) defense,” Christensen said. “He’s proven to the staff he can contribute this year and play for us.”
Miller ended spring camp at No. 1 on the depth chart at running back.
Miller’s journey to UW isn’t unlike most walk-ons. He wanted to play Division I football, but no one offered him a scholarship. There were opportunities at some smaller schools, but playing Division I was the dream, and Miller felt UW gave him the best option.
Not all walk-ons earn scholarships, especially as early as Miller did.
But now that he’s done it, Miller isn’t satisfied or content.
“I guess it was more rewarding to earn (the scholarship) than to just have it given to me,” he said. “I still consider myself a walk-on. That’s the mentality I have and the one I want to keep. It’s something not every player has been through, and it’s in the back of my mind every day.”
Added Christensen: “We’d like to have 10 kids like him walk on a year and put a whole bunch of them on scholarship.”
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Information from: Wyoming Tribune Eagle – Cheyenne,
