Long-known for its ability to mold great players in the position, Punter U's junior punter Chris Miller has helped continue that tradition throughout three years.
After being selected to the Playboy Magazine Preseason All-American First Team, Miller was selected Thursday to the American Football Coaches Association All-American First Team. The junior is the seventh player in Ball State's 83-year history to be honored as a first-team All-American, and the first since former Cardinals' punter Brad Maynard collected numerous first-team honors in 1996.
"I think it's a great honor for Chris but also for his long snapper and the guys who cover and protect for him," coach Brady Hoke said. "Any time you have a guy who receives this kind of accolade, it tells you you're bringing the right type of people into the program."
Miller has averaged 45.8 yards per punt on 56 attempts this season, which is the third-highest average in the nation. Miller said the thing that means the most to him, however, is that the American Football Coaches Association All-American team is the only team in the nation that is exclusively voted on by college football coaches.
Instead of being voted on for his numbers, Miller said, he thinks he was chosen because of the effect he has on a game.
"That does make it special to me because a lot of these polls look straight at numbers, and for punters, stats don't tell you everything," Miller said. "Stats don't look at how you can change the field and influence the game. So it's nice coming from coaches who can really appreciate the effect you have on a game."
Miller also said it meant a lot to him when Hoke gave him a congratulatory call early Thursday.
"Coach looks at the all-MAC teams and those things, but he usually sways away from saying too much about personal honors," Miller said. "He usually says 'You need to finish out the season.' So it really meant a lot for him to congratulate me when our season isn't over yet."
As is the case with any football coach, Hoke said he liked Miller a lot more when he was on the sidelines instead of punting the ball to the opponent's offense during the game. However, Hoke couldn't say enough about how much Miller has meant to his program during his career.
"During the course of his career, he's had some big games where he's really changed field position," Hoke said. "He does a good job in every kind of situation, whether it's a booming punt or a pouch punt. He's really to the point now where he's working on the fine arts of his craft, and he's only going to get better."
Though Miller's numbers could justify a decision to make the jump to the NFL, he said there's still work he'd like to accomplish in college. First and foremost, the junior said he wants to make sure Ball State's excellent punting tradition was carried on after he leaves.
"I know everybody jokes around about how this is Punter U, but that really means a lot to me," Miller said. "It means a lot for my name to be mentioned with some of the great punters who have been here before me like Brad Maynard. Next year is my last year, and I'm getting ready to bring the next guy up. I think any player within a program wants to leave a legacy like this."
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