How Underrated Walk-Ons Became Key Contributors at USC

LOS ANGELES - King and Kaylon Miller were traveling home from an All-Star game practice when they received a call from USC Trojans offensive line coach Zach Hanson that they were both being offered a preferred walk-on spot.

At first, Kaylon had initially sent the call to voicemail when they didn’t recognize the number but quickly got in touch with Hanson. The twin brothers were filled with such a level of excitement, they needed to pull the car over to the side of the road to celebrate.

USC Trojans Walk-On Recruit Recruiting King Kaylon Miller Michigan Wolverines Big Ten Lincoln Riley Tobias Raymond — Sep 6, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; USC Trojans running back King Miller (30) carries the ball down the field for a touchdown in the second half against the Georgia Southern Eagles at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

The twin brothers come from nearby Calabasas high school and dreamed of wearing the Cardinal and Gold. They grew up not too far campus and watched their cousin, Olijah Griffin, the son of legendary rapper Warren G, play three seasons for the Trojans at cornerback from 2018-2020, which included starting his last two.

“It was a no brainer. When I brought it back up to my family, it was just a leap of faith,” King said. “It was a little risky, but I always believed and I just wanted to be here.”

King, a running back and Kaylon, an offensive lineman are both walk-ons right now, but USC coach Lincoln Riley said on Tuesday that it’s “a matter of when, not if” the redshirt freshmen will get scholarships following King’s breakout performance this past Saturday against Michigan.

King Miller’s Recruitment

King and Kaylon were both three-star recruits coming out of high school. King had offers from San Jose State, Nevada and Portland State coming out of high school, but was someone that the Trojans kept their eye on throughout his senior season.

“I know the coaches really bragged on him. Thought he was a good player,” Riley said. “We did too. I think we kind of had an assumption in the beginning, if maybe a school our level doesn't offer, somebody's going to. We kind of kept tabs on him and it never happened. I remember seeing a really good athlete that was raw, but was very fluid. Liked his skill set a lot but he did a lot of things well, didn't feel like he was that far off from being an offer guy."

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Kaylon appeared in two games during his first season on campus in 2024, but King did not see any action.

For King, he continued to work behind the scenes and caught the attention of Riley. In the spring, the main focus was on the Trojans two new additions from the winter transfer portal in Waymond Jordan and Eli Sanders, and returning sophomore Bryan Jackson.

But through it all, Riley continuously brought up King’s name and that carried over into the fall camp and the week leading into the season opener.

He received his first live game action against Missouri State in week 1 and became the first walk-on to score a touchdown since Jess Holguin in 1994 with a 75-yard run, thanks to a key block from Kaylon and finished as the team’s leading rusher. King followed that up the following week with a 41-yard touchdown run against Georgia Southern.

“He’s just developed. A classic story of a guy that has talent. He gets here, he works hard, he's humble," Riley said. Every single rep to him has been valuable, whether it's a scout team rep or it's in the weight room or anything, he never complains.

“He’s got in that mold like Tobias [Raymond] and Devan Thompkins. He fits that mold of guys that just had some talent that got here, and they worked hard and they learned to really utilize it and maximize it and also become pretty effective players at this level.”

King Miller’s Coming Out Party

When Sanders went down in the first quarter, Jordan in the second and Jackson battling a turf toe, USC turned to King this past weekend in a critical must-win game against the Wolverines and he answered the call.

Miller turned in a performance that will not soon be forgotten inside the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. He carried the ball 18 times for 158 yards and one touchdown and helped guide USC to a 31-13 upset win over then-No. 15 Michigan.

“King's worked his entire life to get to this point. So to see him have so much success at this point in life, I just fully accredit everything that he's put in to this game,” Kaylon said. “I always knew that King was going to be great since a child. The way that he just pushed himself and make sure that he was in the right place at the right time.

“Always knew that his day was going to come out at one point. Never knew when it was going to come. But I knew that when his name was going to be called, I knew that he was going to be ready for the moment.”

Miller earned Big Ten Freshman Player of the Week, Burlsworth Trophy Walk-On of the Week and Paul Hornung National Player of the Week honors for his memorable performance.

"The team instilled a lot of trust. I just went out there and tried to do my best as always," King said.

Embracing Opportunities

Having the opportunity to play for their hometown school, in front of their friends and family is something the Miller’s don’t take lightly.

Especially Kaylon, who wasn’t sure his football career would even continue beyond high school, after receiving very little interest from college programs:

“Every single day that I step on this field and I get to put these pads on, it's me playing for something more than just myself,” Kaylon said. “It's me playing for all my high school teammates who didn't get to play further. It's for my cousin who went here before me, who made his mark. It's for my family and just making sure that when I get to do this, that I'm putting my foot through the door for them to maybe even step foot forward and have this opportunity.”

Kaylon has been playing guard and provides excellent depth on the offensive line, but with Kilian O'Connor out with a knee injury, he will be the team's backup center, behind J'Onre Reed.

"It was something new to adjust to, as most things are when you have something new that you're trying to pick up and learn," Kaylon said. "But I feel like every single day I'm out here with these guys they just push me to make sure that I'm my greatest person, greatest self that when my opportunity is called on, I'm ready."

King Miller’s Recruitment

King Miller’s Coming Out Party

Embracing Opportunities

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