Player Bio: Zach Miller

NFL.com Bio and Statistics For Zach Miller

Zach Miller Bio in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader

ASU Career: Local product who began his Sun Devil career with tremendous potential and concluded his three-year tenure as an All-American and one of the very best at his position in ASU history...officially declared himself eligible for the 2007 NFL Draft as an early-entry candidate on Jan. 9, 2007...totaled 144 catches for 1,512 yards (10.5 avg.) and 14 touchdowns during his three years in Tempe...finished his career ranked sixth in school history in total receptions and stands as ASU's all-time leader in receptions by a tight end and touchdown catches by a tight end...ended the 2006 season as ASU's active career leader in receptions and touchdown catches...finished second to former Sun Devil All-American Todd Heap in career receiving yards by a tight end...caught at least one pass in 33 of 35 career games played...made a career-high 10 receptions on two occasions (Washington State, 2005 and Iowa, 2004)...caught eight or more passes four times and made five or more receptions 14 times during his career...totaled 75 or more receiving yards seven times and recorded 50 or more receiving yards in 13 career games...recorded two of the top three and three of the top seven single-season receptions totals by a tight end in ASU history (56 in 2004, 50 in 2006 and 38 in 2005)...as a freshman in 2004, his 56 catches stands as the 10th-highest amount by any player in Sun Devil history and is the greatest amount by a freshman pass-catcher at ASU, breaking former teammate Derek Hagan's mark set in 2002...applauded by coaches for his mental and physical toughness and his versatility to be able to impact the game as a receiver and as a run blocker...equally effective in the classroom as on the field, being one of only three players in the Pac-10 Conference to be named First-Team All-Pac-10 and First-Team Pac-10 All-Academic in 2006...nicknamed "The Truth" for having lived up to expectations surrounding his status as the nation's top tight end prospect while at Phoenix Desert Vista High School...was joined by older brother Brent as ASU's starting tight end/H-back tandem in 2006...started all 35 games in which he played at ASU during the 2004-06 seasons.

2006: Started all 13 games at tight end...became ASU's first consensus All-American since Terrell Suggs in 2002, and the team's 16th overall...earned Walter Camp All-America honors, the first Sun Devil to do so since Suggs in 2002..was named to the National Football Coaches Association (NFCA) All-America Team...was one of three finalists for the John Mackey Award, presented annually to the nation's top tight end...named Second-Team All-America by the Associated Press and Rivals.com...earned Honorable Mention All-America recognition by Pro Football Weekly...named to ESPN The Magazine's Academic All-America Second Team...named to Scout.com's All-Pac-10 Team...earned First-Team All-Pac-10 honors...also earned First-Team Pac-10 All-Academic honors, one of only three to be named to both...was named ASU's Most Valuable Offensive Player of the Year and also earned the team's Cecil Abono Team Captain Award and Pat Tillman Valor Award at the Sun Devils' year-end banquet...led ASU in receptions (50), receiving yards (484) and touchdown catches (four)...led all Pac-10 tight ends in catches and receiving yards...his 50 catches mark the third-most by a tight end in ASU history (Miller owns the record of 56 set in 2004)...caught at least one pass in every game and made four or more receptions in nine contests...caught four passes for 47 yards against Northern Arizona on Aug. 31...led ASU with five catches for 53 yards and a touchdown against Nevada on Sept. 9...with his touchdown reception against the Wolf Pack, he surpassed former Sun Devil Joe Petty (1970-72) as ASU's all-time leader among tight ends in career touchdown receptions (12)...recorded game-highs of five catches for 45 yards at Colorado on Sept. 16, including a one-handed, five-yard touchdown reception from quarterback Rudy Carpenter with 1:33 remaining to seal the Sun Devils' victory...caught two passes for 19 yards at No. 21 California on Sept. 23...hauled in four passes for 36 yards and a score at No. 3 USC on Oct. 14...tallied a game-high four catches for 32 yards against Stanford on Oct. 21...a first-quarter reception against the Cardinal allowed him to surpass former Sun Devil All-American Todd Heap (1998-2000) as ASU's all-time leading receiver at tight end (116 catches)...led ASU with four catches for 57 yards at Oregon State on Nov. 4...caught six passes for a season-high 84 yards against Washington State on Nov. 11...on a first-quarter reception against the Cougars, he surpassed former Sun Devil Ken Dyer (1965-67) into second on ASU's all-time list for receiving yards by a tight end...recorded a team-best four catches for 36 yards against UCLA on Nov. 18...pulled in a season-high eight receptions, and tied the team-high with 61 yards and a touchdown at Arizona on Nov. 25...entered the season having caught more passes (94) during the 2004 and 2005 seasons than any active tight end in the nation, and ranked second at his position in receiving yards (1,028) and touchdown catches (10) during that span...was named to the preseason watch list for the Maxwell Award, which is presented annually to the nation's top offensive player...regarded as a Playboy All-American...earned preseason first-team All America honors by the NFL Draft Almanac and Rivals.com...earned preseason second-team All-America honors by Athlon Sports, Lindy's and Phil Steele...earned preseason honorable mention All-America recognition by Street & Smith's...ranked as the second-best tight end in the nation by Lindy's and Phil Steele and the third-best at his position by the Sporting News...ranked by ESPN.com as the second-best tight end to be eligible for the 2007 NFL Draft...named to virtually every preseason first-team All-Pac-10 list...ranked as the No. 7 "Top NFL Talent" in the Pac-10 by Lindy's...regarded by Street & Smith's as having the "Best Instincts" in the conference...earned Hard Hat Player recognition for his efforts in the team's winter strength and conditioning program (top 10 in points).

2005: Started 10 games...earned honorable mention All-Pac-10 honors...was named to the second-team Pac-10 All-Academic team (3.75 GPA)...caught 38 passes for 476 yards (12.5 avg.) and four touchdowns...finished third on the team in receptions and fifth in receiving yards...tied his career-high with 10 catches at Washington State for 98 yards and one touchdown...caught six passes for 92 yards at Stanford (Oct. 22)...had seven catches for 71 yards and a touchdown against No. 25 Oregon (Oct. 8) after missing two of the previous three games due to injury...caught four passes 43 yards and a score against Rutgers (Dec. 27) in the Insight Bowl...had a season-long 34-yard reception on the first play from scrimmage against rival Arizona...also caught the game-tying two-point conversion pass from quarterback Rudy Carpenter with 7.52 remaining against Wildcats...had three receptions for 26 yards and a touchdown in the season opener against Temple...was listed as the eighth-best tight end in the nation by the Sporting News.

2004: Started all 12 games as a true freshman...was named the Pac-10 Freshman of the Year, the second Sun Devil to earn that distinction (Terrell Suggs was the other)...earned second-team All-America honors from both the Sporting News and rivals.com...was one of four freshmen in the country to earn first- or second-team All-America honors...was also a first-team Freshman All-America selection by both publications as well as the Football Writers Association of America...rivals.com also named him to its All-Pac-10 squad...turned in 56 catches and 552 yards, shattering ASU's freshman receiving records previously held by College Football Hall of Famer John Jefferson and senior Derek Hagan...broke ASU's single-season mark for receptions by a tight end, besting the 55 catches that current Baltimore Raven All-Pro Todd Heap had in 1999...the best tight end in school history, Heap turned in just 12 catches for 209 yards and four TDs in his freshman year...Miller's six TD catches tied for first on ASU single-season charts and are already tied for sixth on the career list...his 56 catches tied with Oregon State's Joe Newton for the most in the nation by a tight end and ranked ninth in the ASU recordbook for receptions in a single season...already ranks seventh on the ASU career chart for tight end receptions...tied for second on the team with six receiving touchdowns...tied the school record for receiving TDs by a tight end with his six scores (Joe Petty had six in 1971)...finished seventh in the Pac-10 with 4.7 catches per game...caught a career-high 10 balls for 85 yards and the first two TD receptions of his career in ASU's win over Iowa on Sept. 18...hauled in eight balls for a career-best 102 yards Oct. 16 vs. national champion USC...added eight catches for 76 yards Nov. 26 at Arizona.

HIGH SCHOOL: A 2004 graduate of Desert Vista High School in Phoenix...was a unanimous selection as the No. 1 tight end prospect in the nation...USA Today first-team All-American tight end...Rydell All-America tight end...listed as the No. 1 tight end, the No. 50 overall prospect in the nation, the No. 7 prospect in the West and a member of the Top 100 "Dream Team" by PrepStar...a member of SuperPrep's preseason top 50 players in the nation...earned 93 points (seventh-best player) to make first team pn the Long Beach Press-Telegram's "Best In The West" list...member of the Tacoma News Tribune's "Western 100"...listed as the No. 1 player in the state of Arizona by SuperPrep...listed as the No. 1 tight end and No. 5 player in the nation as well the No. 1 player in Arizona by Rivals.com...played in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl high school all-star game...named the "Big School" Player of the Year by the Arizona Republic...won the Tempe All-City Scholar-Athlete Award of Excellence in May 2004...a first-team 5A All-State pick by the East Valley Tribune as a tight end and linebacker...was the recipient of the Vic Householder Award, given annually by Phoenix Metro Football Magazine to the Arizona Player of the Year...Arizona Gatorade Player of the Year in 2003...named the Phoenix Metro Magazine Player of the Year...Southeast Valley and Central Region Offensive Player of the Year...Tempe all-city tight end as a senior...ESPN top-ranked tight end and No. 10 player overall in the country...the Sporting News All-American first-team tight end...Student Sports Magazine first-team All-American...had 47 catches for 790 yards and six touchdowns as a senior...also added 134 tackles on defense, 11 quarterback sacks and one interception...also won the Larry Gordon Award, presented annually to the state's best linebacker, and the Henry Stanton Award as the state's top receiver...both awards presented by Phoenix Metro Football Magazine...Gordon was a former ASU linebacking star...first-team offense and defense selection by that publication...amassed 27 receptions for 520 yards and six touchdowns as a junior...on defense, he accumulated 102 tackles, 16 tackles for loss and 11 quarterback sacks...as a sophomore, made Student Sports Magazine Sophomore All-America tight end...was third-team all-state by the Arizona Republic as a sophomore...second-team All-East Valley tight end by the East Valley Tribune as a sophomore...made All-Central Region first-team at tight end as a sophomore...selected Desert Vista's Best Defensive Player Award as a sophomore and was first-team all-city honoree at tight end...made All-Central Region second-team at tight end as a freshman...a tremendous student with a perfect 4.0 grade-point average...earned four letters in football and three in track...captained his football team as a senior...set the school discus record and was the shotput regional champion in 2004...also earned all-city honors in discus in 2004...finished third in the state in discus in 2003...coached by Dan Hinds.

PERSONAL: Undecided on his major...parents are Tom (business owner) and Jaki (designer) Miller of Phoenix...has a brother, Brent (22), and a sister, Kara...his brother, Brent, will be a senior tight end/h-back at ASU in 2007...volunteered at the Special Olympics in 2001-03...won the U.S. Achievement Academy Mathematics award in 1999, 2000 and 2001...lists playing X-Box as one of his hobbies...born in December of 1985 in Tempe, Ariz....full name is Zachary J. Miller.

CAREER HIGHS: Receptions: 10, twice, last at Washington State (11/5/05). Receiving Yards: 102, at USC (10/16/04). Receiving Touchdowns: 2, vs. Iowa (9/18/04).

Miller's Career Statistics

Zach Miller Class: Senior Hometown: Phoenix, Ariz. High School: Desert Vista Height / Weight: 6-5 / 259 Position: Tight End/H-Back Experience: 3V

Miller's Game-by-Game Statistics