Miller Brings Energy, Passion To Pokes’ Secondary

LARAMIE -- Dainsus Miller walked out of the Hugh Altitude Performance Center Saturday afternoon, slapped the metal Steamboat statue and slowly made his way onto Jonah Field.

Wearing cleats, gloves and a white shirt with a large No. 9 on the back, the senior was preparing to warm up ahead of Wyoming's homecoming tilt with Hawaii.

What made this game day different than any other? Miller was active.

Though he has been on campus -- and practicing with the team -- since late August, the Georgia Product's football future was still on hold. He thought his last collegiate game had already happened last November when he trotted into War Memorial Stadium and shared an embrace with his family on senior day.

One court ruling later, Miller, along with other seniors from around the country, gained an additional year of eligibility.

Or so they thought.

Miller was hesitant initially about getting his hopes up. The NCAA only added to that anxiety when it filed a lawsuit, preventing the return of those "super seniors." That decision, which the courts upheld, left the 5-foot-10, 180-pound cornerback in limbo.

“I’ve been staying in shape in hopes of getting an opportunity somewhere,” Miller said after the initial ruling. “I wouldn’t go in expecting a spot to be handed to me. I’m open to starting from the ground and working my way back in to play.”

Jay Sawvel said it has been hard to watch Miller prepare each week with so much uncertainty surrounding a potential return to the field. That's a small part of what made last Tuesday so special.

Wyoming's third-year head coach, fresh off speaking to a group of elected officials in Laramie, returned to the football building and a giddy group of defensive coaches.

"Coach, Dainsus, he's cleared," Sawvel was told around 10 a.m. "I'm like, wait, what? Dainsus shows me his phone and his lawyer had said, 'Oh, you won. You can play.' I was like, OK, how did this happen? He's like, 'Well, coach, I got tagged in this Indiana lawsuit.' Good for him."

This news couldn't have come at a better time.

High-flying Hawaii was in town, bringing its vaunted run-and-shoot offense with it to the high plains. To make matters even more difficult, Tyson Shamsid-Deen and Kendall Griffin, a pair of young, athletic cornerbacks who had been eating up valuable minutes, both underwent a surgical procedure on their hands.

Miller filled in admirably. And his impact was felt almost immediately.

Southpaw Micah Alejado and the visitors were facing a 3rd-and-6 at their own 29-yard line with just 3:05 remaining in the first half. The young southpaw hauled in the shotgun snap and quickly fired an out route toward the home sideline. There, Tama Uiliata reeled in the throw and looked to turn upfield.

He didn't get that chance.

Miller met him immediately, dropping the 5-foot-11, 195-pound speedster short of the sticks.

The former Mercer transfer capped his 2026 debut for the Cowboys with four tackles.

"It was a good morale boost for the secondary in the corner room, just having a guy back from last year," safety Jones Thomas said postgame. "We've seen what he can do, we've seen how he plays. He clicks well with the team and he steps up when it's time to step up."

Sawvel said, physically, Miller was ready to play. All that remained was catching him up on the game plan against a unit that averaged 270 yards per game through the air.

Hawaii finished with just 226 in Laramie.

"He's a competitive dude," Sawvel added. "So that was a really good thing for us to have."

Aaron Bohl agrees.

Wyoming's defensive coordinator said Miller Saturday played like a guy who thought he had football taken away from him.

"Dainsus is a good player for us," Bohl added. "Whenever he came in and told us on Tuesday that the court case was going his way, it was like, all right, finally we got something. We got a break now. That's what he needed.

"I think everyone just loves him. Also, talk about playing with energy and passion."

Miller appeared in 11 games for the Cowboys in 2025, earning seven starts. The all-conference honorable mention tallied 27 tackles, 19 of which were solo stops. He also forced a fumble and recorded five pass breakups, including a season-high two against CSU. He tacked on three tackles for loss.

He was the sixth highest-graded cornerback in the league, according to Pro Football Focus.

Miller and the Cowboys face their toughest task of the young season this Saturday when they take on Mountain West newcomer North Dakota State inside a sold-out Fargodome.

While this is new territory for most, it won't be for Miller.

He traveled to Fargo in the winter of 2024 for a playoff matchup against the Bison. Though Mercer fell 31-7, Miller broke up three passes in that meeting. That performance, Sawvel has said, but the rangy corner on Wyoming's radar in free agency.

The Cowboys (2-2, 1-0) and Bison (4-0, 1-0) will take part in the first ever Battle of the Basins. Kickoff is slated for 1:30 p.m. and the game will be televised on The CW.

MORE UW FOOTBALL NEWS VIA 7220SPORTS:

* NDSU Notebook: Place Your Bets

* Battle of the Basins: Wyoming, NDSU Football Start New Tradition

* GALLERY: Pokes Leave Visitors Chasing Rainbows

* Behind the Numbers: Wyoming's Unsung Heroes Wore No. 8

* Two-Headed Monster in Pokes' Backfield Comes To Life

* A Cell-Phone Ban, Player-Only Meeting and One Embarrassment Later ...

* Cowboys Down Hawaii 27-10 in Conference Opener

* Rants and Raves: Hawaii Rainbow Warriors Edition

* Turning Point, Unsung Hero and What's Next for UW Football

* LIVE FILE: Wyoming 27, Hawaii 10

* Gear Up For Game Day: Hawaii Rainbow Warriors