Dean Miller’s weight is up, and so are expectations for him with Kansas football this fall

LAWRENCE — In short, Dean Miller’s physical development since he arrived on campus ahead of the 2022 season has been a process.

Miller joined Kansas football as a College of the Canyons (California) transfer and defensive end with potential. The junior college product chose the Jayhawks over other interested programs, including the Indiana Hoosiers. But gaining the necessary weight to be effective up front for a Big 12 Conference program like KU, and maintaining that weight, became a lingering issue.

Through the 2022 and 2023 seasons, there were other players Kansas ended up relying upon to be disruptive and rush the passer. He finished with one tackle that first year, and three the second. Two seasons into his time with the Jayhawks, he has yet to record a sack or tackle for loss.

Miller, though, appears to be on track for a breakout campaign in 2024. All throughout the spring, coaches and teammates highlighted him as someone who kept putting himself in position to be a standout for the team in the fall. A redshirt junior defensive end this upcoming season, should he step up it’d be a much-needed boost for Kansas.

RELATED: ‘Run your own race’: Logan Brown could become Kansas football’s starting left tackle

RELATED: Lessons learned: Travis Goff reflects on his father's Dodge City Community College honor

“Dean’s been going crazy, actually,” said senior defensive end Jereme Robinson, who added you can tell Miller has put on weight just by the way Miller walks around. “He’s had — this is probably one of his better springs. He’s getting more familiar with our defense. He’s running fast. He’s playing fast. He’s hitting people hard. I think he’s going to be that motor-type of guy for us.”

Taiwo Onatolu, Kansas’ defensive ends coach, said one day in early April that Miller weighed in that morning at 227 pounds. Ideally, Onatolu explained, they’d like for Miller to be in the 235-to-240 pound range. They’ve had guys play in the 230-to-235 pound range if they are explosive enough, and Miller’s someone Onatolu said is athletic, plays with a motor and is physical.

Onatolu attributed Miller’s weight change to Miller figuring out his body and working with the team’s director of sports performance, Matt Gildersleeve, as well as the nutrition staff. Miller said he’s been able to build habits and stack days on top of each other, as he eats constantly with multiple big meals each day and snacks in between. It’s what helps Miller build toward his own goal of 240 pounds, with a day he eats at least 5,000 calories considered a light day.

Miller still feels as if he moves as well as when he did when he was lighter, and that the weight’s helped his strength, too. There’s also the benefit of being around the system defensive coordinator Brian Borland uses for multiple years, which Miller described as a game-changer. Redshirt junior offensive lineman Logan Brown, who could start at left tackle for the Jayhawks, mentioned Miller among those who stood out to him during scrimmages.

“(Miller)’s one of those guys that — well, obviously we need somebody to step up at those positions and he really helped himself out, I feel like, this spring,” Borland said. “He’s really bought in to the nutrition and the weight gain, finally, and it’s made a tremendous difference for him. He’s always been a high-motor, good-explosion guy, but he’s finally — his weight is such now that he can go stand in there against some of the tall timber that we have to.”

Miller won’t be the only one Kansas looks to in order to rush the passer this fall. Not only is Robinson making his way back from an injury, but there were multiple other names — including even freshman defensive end Dakyus Brinkley — that came up throughout the spring. Bai Jobe, rated as a four-star transfer edge by 247Sports out of Michigan State, is also set to join the Jayhawks.

But Miller has made an impression.

Head coach Lance Leipold was among those who praised Miller during the spring. And in addition to being eager to take advantage of every opportunity he gets, Miller has a plan for how he aims to improve as a pass rusher.

“On the field, I feel like I play pretty physical regardless of what weight I’m at,” Miller said. “But it’s really just making sure when that double team comes I can stick on that and just hold my ground.”

Jordan Guskey covers University of Kansas Athletics at The Topeka Capital-Journal. He is the National Sports Media Association’s sportswriter of the year for the state of Kansas for 2022. Contact him at jmguskey@gannett.com or on Twitter at @JordanGuskey.

This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Expectations are rising for Kansas football defensive end Dean Miller