Days after Steven Miller’s passing, Sun Devils practice with the energy he embodied

Tragic news hit Arizona State on Wednesday night: sports performance assistant coach Steve Miller passed away. Miller, 29, a local Gilbert native, played for the Sun Devils from 2016-2019, starting in 35 games in his career. He began his coaching career with stops at the University of Florida and Louisiana (Lafayette) before returning to Tempe as a graduate assistant in 2023, following the arrival of head coach Kenny Dillingham.

“I recruited Steve; it was a very emotional day,” Dillingham said on Saturday. “We canceled practice. All the guys took out to breakfast or did certain things. I know some guys went to Derek’s house, and Jaren Hamilton cooked breakfast for 30 guys. It’s sad, Steve’s unbelievable.” 

Miller coached with true passion and exuberant joy, something that coaches, players, and media noticed each time he stepped out onto the field in Tempe. Dillinhgam noted the moment as another reminder to the program to cherish each day just as Miller did for the Maroon and Gold. 

“I hope that the kids learn that you just got to cherish every single day,” Dillingham added. “Because that dude brought it every day with passion and love for everybody, and he’s still watching over us.” 

Saturday featured the final scrimmage of this year’s Sun Devils’ spring practice slate; whilst the program had previously scrimmaged on multiple Saturdays, this one featured defined teams with players sporting either Maroon or Gold. The rosters were posted on the team’s social media accounts before the scrimmage began. 

Team Maroon took home a 17-10 victory, but Dillingham won’t care who the victor was because the energy and intensity shown took precedence over the final score. 

“I thought it was a lot of good work back and forth,” Dillingham noted. “We got good situational work.” 

All three touchdown passes were completed over the air. The four quarterbacks were relatively successful on the day, particularly when throwing toward wide receivers Omarion Miller (Maroon) and Reed Harris (Gold). 

Only two turnovers happened on the day, a fumble and then an interception on the goal line. The pick was thrown by Cam Dyer, and he, unfortunately, got his pass tipped at the line of scrimmage, falling into the hands of safety Kyan McDonald. 

“I mean, the one turnover obviously you can’t have that tip ball and an RPO, that’s a learning experience to understand down there in the tackle box,” Dillingham noted. “You’re finding windows, very, difficult.” 

Toward the end of spring, the Sun Devils looked to be firing on all cylinders in each position group. The chemistry was clicking from weapons and quarterbacks to the defensive line and secondary. 

Dililingham credits the team’s togetherness toward players spending time together outside football. Much has been made of recent weeks about the number of Sun Devils who competitively bowl against each other; many have their own balls and shoes, bringing another layer of fun competition to the group. 

“I like our football team, I like our togetherness,” Dillingham remarked. “I like how our guys are hanging out. We have people here, and I’m hearing that like 30 guys are hanging out at the same place. And that’s what I always look for to see if we’re building a culture.” 

That culture, which ASU has cultivated over the last few weeks of spring, is one that is dedicated to working together on a unique goal. Players strive through tough love, and trash talk is commonplace at the Bill Kajikawa Practice fields. Even players who didn’t play due ot injury, such as running back David Avit, were seen poking jokes at Demarius Robinson.

“This isn’t for everybody; this is a very unique place,” Dillingham admitted. “Like you better wake up every day, and you better show up in the meeting room ready to be called out, ready for your video of you getting your butt kicked to be played 25 times. Like you better be ready for us to be on you every day and also enjoy it, and play with a passion, and have fun.”