Seated in his office with anticipation building, Wade Standley picked up his phone to hear from Grayson Miller.
It was early in the week before OU vs. Michigan, and the Deer Creek High School head coach was thrilled that his former punter would start for the Sooners’ marquee matchup.
“I yelled out loud because I was so excited,” Standley said. “Then watching him in the game, he (thrived) under pressure.”
Miller was thrown into the fire after redshirt sophomore punter Jacob Ulrich dealt with a hamstring injury leading up to the game, and Miller did not shy away from embracing the opportunity. Miller averaged 47.8 yards on four punts — including one that went for 59 yards — during his first Sooner start.
“He was raised at the moment,” OU head coach Brent Venables said. “He's got a great disposition for him — really competitive, got a lot of juice and energy. That was huge. All four of the punts he punted were huge in that game, just from a field position standpoint.”
Miller’s plays gave OU confidence to start their drives, and his furthest mark was more than Ulrich’s best punt against Illinois State, which launched for 54 yards. Miller’s ability to start the offense strongly reminds Standley of Deer Creek’s run to the state finals during the punter’s senior year.
“He flipped the field for us, did an incredible job there,” Standley said. “You knew that when he kicked off, it was going to go in the end zone, and if you got within field goal range, you knew it was going to be money, so just a huge part of success.”
Miller, however, had to face adversity before success in high school. Until Miller’s senior year, he was the backup behind current Oklahoma State University starting kicker Logan Ward.
“He was the backup to Logan Ward, who's the starting kicker at Oklahoma State University, and Logan was older,” Standley said. “Grayson just kept a great attitude and kept grinding and knew that his time would come, and when it did, he crushed it.”
Miller also had a driven mindset on the soccer field in high school — a testament to his work ethic.
“We love our guys to be able to be two and three-sport guys because the young men that do that love to compete, so we always knew that about Grayson,” Standley said. “He was able to balance both and give both everything and never shortchange one or the other. … He participated in soccer, and then, obviously, he was our kicker and punter, but he was always a weight room guy. He just dedicated himself to getting better.”
Miller’s love for soccer led him to Lubbock Christian University, a Division II program. However, he appeared in only two games before returning to football at the University of Central Oklahoma.
“His heart wanted to go and play soccer, and that's what he did,” Standley said. “Not long after giving that a go, he decided he wanted to go try and kick and punt, and the thing I know most about Grayson is that what he sets his mind to, he's going to accomplish and just has a great attitude about life in general.”
According to Standley, a driving force in Miller’s change back to football was the punter’s faith.
“He is a man of great faith and puts his trust in the Lord, and he just lets that faith guide his decisions,” Standley said. “I know that was a huge part of the process for him.”
At UCO, Miller recorded two all-conference second-team selections in 2023-24. He also registered 52 punts in 2024 with a 43.3-yard average, including his best kick of 65. Miller, just like he did as a Sooner against Michigan, made the most of his opportunities at UCO.
“If he is given a foot in the door, meaning, if he is just given a chance, he's going to take it and run with it,” Standley said. “He had great success at the University of Central Oklahoma once he decided to go be a kicker and a punter.”
According to Miller, the faith that sent him to UCO led him to Norman too.
“For about a year before I came here, I was having dreams and visions about coming here, and I started praying about it with God,” Miller said at the Sooners’ spring media availability for newcomers. “He made it real clear that this is where he wanted me, and this is exactly where he has put me.”
After many stops, Miller now focuses on being where his feet are at OU and serves as an encouragement to the offices and fields of Deer Creek High School.
“He's an inspiration to the young men we have here at Deer Creek and to anybody around him,” Standley said. “He exudes confidence. I knew that once he had a chance somewhere, if he was given an opportunity, he would take full advantage of it, and he's certainly doing that. It's exciting to watch him, and I can't wait to see what he does next.”
This story was edited by Laurie Jones.
