Iowa State offensive lineman Tyler Miller is ‘playing with a purpose’

DUBLIN, Ireland — First steps. First words. A growing sense of self-awareness.

Iowa State right tackle Tyler Miller and his fiance, Jaislynn Happe, can chart his own path to success — and a Cyclone-best 38-game start streak — alongside the development of their 3-year-old son, Tate, who was born smack dab in the middle of spring ball in March of 2022.

“Definitely came at us fast, figuring out how to do all that and be good parents,” said Miller, who hopes to help No. 22 ISU beat No. 17 Kansas State in Saturday’s 11 a.m. (Central time) Aer Lingus College Football Classic at Aviva Stadium. “It’s been great. We’ve got a great support system — friends and family. It’s been awesome.”

And now Tyler and Jaislynn have another child to lovingly nurture. Their second son, Teddy, was born in June. So the 6-foot-9, 330-pound Miller’s been dealing with middle-of-the-night bottle calls as perhaps the perfect prelude to the jet lag the Cyclones have devised multiple ways to diminish before their Big 12 rivalry game with the Wildcats.

“I’m a pretty hard sleeper, so there are definitely a lot of nights where she’d wake me up and say, ‘Hey, you need to take this one,’” Miller said. “But it’s been great, like I said. She’s done a wonderful job (of) understanding what I do, even what she does — stay at home mom, that’s a full-time job in itself. I think we do a good job of just building with each other and helping each other out.”

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So when Miller, who already holds his degree in Agricultural Studies, isn’t divvying up diaper duty with Jaislynn, he’s helping ensure that the O-line room is as well-connected as possible. ISU head coach Matt Campbell is convinced Miller — a Scranton native — is a future pro, but those hopes can wait. He’s got mouths to feed and holes to bulldoze.

“Tyler is one of those elite stories in our program,” said Campbell, whose team seeks its first three-game win streak against Kansas State since winning five in a row from 1995-99. “You come from such a small town, right? You come here, you are tough, you worked your tail off your whole life. Man, did he ever think he was really gonna start? I don’t know.

“(He) gets thrown in the fire early. Has some good days, has some bad days, goes through some injuries, has a child (and) now he’s got two children, and this guy is the epitome of, man — he’s more mature than half of our coaching staff.”

Being a dad has certainly accelerated Miller’s aging process, but in a good way. Perspective comes every time he reads that extra bedtime story to Tate regardless of his level of fatigue, or anchors himself in a moment of wonder he can experience through his boys’ young eyes. No need to glance at the phone or let the mind wander. These snapshots in time are everything. Blink and they’re gone.

“He owns a home, he’s got two children, he stands for what’s right,” Campbell said. “He’s become a great football player and he’s earned the right to be confident because of his work ethic.”

Miller takes that family-based approach to every meeting, every film session, every practice and soon-to-be every game as the Cyclones seek to follow-up on last season’s record-breaking 11-win season. He’s a leader in the room largely because he can look himself in the mirror and never fool himself.

He needs to be great — in all aspects of his life — because if he’s not, he’s failing his family. Miller won’t let that happen. On the field or off it.

“I think we have a great group of guys (who) buy into that (mindset), put the work in, and communicate with each other, build off each other, compete with each other, and push with each other every day,” said Miller, who is set to marry Jaislynn in late January. “So I’m thankful for everyone else in the room. We’ve pushed each other to where we’ve been and the lengths that we can go to — and we know what we can accomplish, and it’s been awesome.”

Miller, Campbell said, is “a really special human.” But three even more special humans — Jaislynn and his two sons — drive him to be his best. No compromises, no excuses.

“He’s playing with a purpose,” ISU offensive line coach Ryan Clanton said. “He plays like he’s trying to feed his family and that’s what you want from a maturity standpoint.”

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