Oregon State transfer OL Tanner Miller sounds like a Dantonio-era Spartan

At the height of his powers, former Michigan State head football coach Mark Dantonio had the Spartans winning Big Ten championships and finishing Top 5 in the national rankings.

Dantonio did that with players like Oregon State transfer offensive lineman Tanner Miller, who chose to follow current head coach Jonathan Smith and O-line coach Jim Michalczik from Corvallis to East Lansing this past winter. Miller was a former walk-on with the Beavers, who passed on a scholarship offer from Southern Utah to bet on himself and play Power 5 football.

"Coach M saw me at a few camps back in the summer going into my senior year," Miller told reporters on Tuesday. "He said, 'Listen, I don't got a scholarship offer 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. The 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."

It took three years at Oregon State for Miller to earn his scholarship, but that accomplishment didn't change the former walk-on's mindset.

"I think just continuing to have that chip on your shoulder mindset, because now where I am today, it's kind of easy to get complacent and happy with where you're at," Miller said. "But, I'm not happy with where I'm at and I always, everyday, come out and be that kid, that walk-on that's undersized, that doesn't have a chance, that no one took a chance on. Too still come out with that chip on your shoulder, that fire within you to go prove it every single day to whoever."

Man, if that doesn't sound like the type of players Dantonio used to line the walls with in East Lansing, I'm not sure what would. If you need further convincing, try this quote on for size:

"Team success is what I'm most after," Miller said. "Building a culture here that in the long term, in five years, I can come back here and it's the same vibe that I left. Rubbing off on my mentality to the younger guys and kind of just using my knowledge to teach the younger guys, to help them out, pick up the offense better, give them the tricks of the trade."

Miller had to work his tail off to make it at the Power 5 level. After earning a scholarship, he earned a starting job at Oregon State. After that, this past season, Miller earned All-American and All-Pac 12 honors.

"He's done great," Michalczik said. "He's a guy that just — you talk about self-made, and the best players are. I mean, we recruit all these guys and hope they're going to be this and that. The ones that work and develop and continue to grow are always the ones that become great players. He's one of those guys. His work ethic is, I mean, every day he gets a little bit better."

That's all a part of Miller's process. He makes a living at zeroing in on his daily requirements, not getting sucked into the big picture.

"There were some tough times, being a walk-on, in the first couple years," he said. "But, not focusing on the end goal of a scholarship and all that. Just focusing on the day to day, what can I do today that makes me better than yesterday and then just building off that is what got me to this position. 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 that when I got put in I didn't miss a beat. I hit it on the run, and then here we are."

What does Miller's decision mean to Michalczik, and say about the offensive line coach's approach to recruiting and development?

"I'm just happy he's here," Michalczik said. "He's been a fun guy to coach and he does things the right way. He's going to be successful in football, he's going to be successful in whatever he does in life, because of the type of person that he is...I think it's kind of validation in what you do and how you run your program."

What are Miller's goals at Michigan State in 2024? It's too early to get into all that. His focus is on getting better in spring practice, and making sure his teammates do the same.

"Obviously, wins and losses are all that, but the process of coming in today — how'd we do today? Did we get better? If not, how are we going to fix it come Thursday? I think a process of getting better everyday is what success looks like to me."

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