MSU Transfer G/C Tanner Miller Worked His Way Up at OSU

Michigan State football transfer G/C Tanner Miller brings a ton of value to the Spartans' offensive line, but this new beginning is a much different one compared to when he first joined Oregon State.

Miller began his college career as a walk-on for the Beavers and had to prove himself before eventually becoming a second-team All-Pac-12 honoree.

"Coach M. [Jim Michalczik] saw me at a few camps back-to-back in the summer going into my senior year [of high school]," Miller told media members on Tuesday. "He said, 'Listen, I don't got a scholarship for you, but I can give you a spot on the team.' At that point, I had no offers, and then, after my senior season, I got one offer from Southern Utah.

"Took a trip out there, didn't really like it. Next week, took a trip to Oregon State, and I said, 'This is the place for me, I'm going to take a chance.' My parents believed in me, and there was some tough times being a walk-on in the first couple years, but not focusing on the end goal of the scholarship and all that, just focus[ing] on the day-to-day -- what can I do today that makes me better than yesterday, and then just build off that -- is what got me to this position and being ready.

"I didn't know when my time was going to come, when I was going to get my shot to make a difference in my life, and then, the team. But being ready and being available so when I got put in, [I] didn't miss a beat, hit it on the run, and then, here we are."

Miller said he still strives to "continue to have that chip-on-your shoulder mindset."

"[W]here I am today, it's kind of easy to get complacent and kind of happy with where you're at," he said, "but I'm not happy with where I'm at, and I always, every day, come out and still be that kid, that walk-on, that's undersized, that doesn't have a chance, that no one took a chance on and still come out with that chip on your shoulder and that fire to go prove it every single day to whoever."

The Michigan State Spartan Football Spring Green and White Game (Spring Showcase) will be held at the High Cathedral of the Spartan Nation, Spartan Stadium, on April 20, 2024, at 2 p.m.

Don’t forget to follow the official Spartan Nation Page on Facebook Spartan Nation WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE, and be a part of our vibrant community group Go Green Go White as well WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE.