Miller completes class as last recruit

Tanner Miller knows all about the last recruit.

He ticked off a few names, including Prairie City-Monroe's Brandon Myers. He's now an Oakland Raider. Marion's Allen Reisner was the final recruit of the 2007 class. He'll start for the Hawkeyes next season.

Miller, a multisport athlete for Mid-Prairie High School, was the final recruit of the 2010 class. The 6-foot-2, 200-pounder visited Iowa last weekend as a walk-on prospect. He took a phone call Monday from Coach Kirk Ferentz with an offer for a full scholarship.

“It still hasn't completely hit me,” Miller said. “Coach Ferentz called me after our game last night, and I told him I was in.”

Last fall, Miller rushed for 1,846 yards rushing and scored 23 touchdowns to go with 64 tackles as a free safety on defense. He's the defending state champion in the Class 2A 400-meter hurdles. He leads Mid-Prairie's basketball team with 18.8 points a game.

The Iowa staff met for two hours before deciding on the offer to Miller. A possible player exit left a scholarship open for Miller, he said.

That's OK for Miller. He's happy to be in, and he's motivated to show he belongs.

“I think the last guy definitely comes in thinking he has something to prove,” Miller said. “Maybe you're not highly recruited to begin with, so maybe you do think you have something to prove, show people you can play on that level.”

Miller committed to play for Coach Mark Farley at Northern Iowa with an 80-percent scholarship. The change forced him to make a tough phone call Tuesday.

“After all they've done for me and the support they've given me, it was definitely hard,” Miller said. “I felt comfortable there, but this is something you can't pass up.”

Miller, who moved to Wellman from Nebraska in eighth grade, comes from good bloodlines. His dad, Brian, and uncle played football at Nebraska.