Martin Fennelly Column: Bulls walk-on Joel Miller is a feel-good story

Posted Aug 20, 2010 by Scott Carter

Updated Aug 20, 2010 at 09:53 PM

VERO BEACH— South Florida had finished practice. It was early evening. Suddenly fireworks erupted near the football field painted on the outfield at Dodgertown, the Bulls’ summer camp.

They were nothing like the fireworks last January. They were real fireworks – bright lights in the sky, to celebrate the end of new USF head coach Skip Holtz’s “Bulls Olympics.” One junior, a walk-on running back, smiled at the sky.

“It’s been fun,” he said. “It’s been a great camp.”

That was Joel Miller.

Yes, that Joel Miller.

If Holtz’s first camp as USF coach has been Feel Good, it’s about to Feel Better:

Joel Miller, walk-on, is probably going to go on scholarship.

Joel Miller, a central figure in the sad, sordid case of Jim Leavitt – Joel Miller, who never did anything wrong, who only tried to protect his dream.

“I always just wanted to be a Bull,” he said.

Skip Holtz won’t confirm scholarship stuff, but said this:

“If it happens, it’s not out of sympathy. If it happens, it will be because Joel has earned it. As hard as he works, everyone has his back. Joel has earned the respect of this team.”

It still feels good.

It feels like closure.

Joel Miller, who last November happened to be in the wrong place at halftime of the Louisville game when Jim Leavitt’s runaway train jumped the tracks, might be getting a scholarship.

“I just want to play football,” Miller said.

He never asked for the nightmare, never asked to be in the headlines.

Joel Miller was a victim. Don’t forget that. Not Jim Leavitt – Joel Miller.

Since he was a kid, he wanted to be a Bull. At Wharton High School, he wanted to be a Bull. He eventually walked on at USF. Jim Leavitt gave him that chance. Joel Miller always remembers that.

“I’m proud of my son,” Paul Miller said. “He kept focused. He stayed with that dream.”

It was that dream that led both son and father to keep silent at first, to protect Leavitt.

“Sometimes I feel like I let (Joel) down,” Paul Miller said. “I said some things that weren’t very good. Some people have asked me why I didn’t go after (Leavitt). I wanted my son to have his dream of playing college football. I thought all this would ruin his career.”

There were days Joel would come home early from a night out. Someone had something to him, said he was out for himself, trying to destroy Leavitt. People said a lot.

He kept practicing.

He’ll be on special teams, where he made a mark the last two seasons. Miller will be down the depth chart at running back, but he impressed coaches in a recent scrimmage with a few runs, catches and blocks. He is working out some at receiver.

“The thing about him is he’s just a good football player who works incredibly hard,” Bulls offensive coordinator and running backs coach Todd Fitch said. “It would have been easy in his situation to get distracted ... I think it comes down to character; don’t think character doesn’t matter.”

Joel Miller’s dad says he wishes Jim Leavitt would admit what happened.

“I hope he does it, just as a man,” Paul Miller said.

His son tells his father to let it go, just let it go.

On a soft summer night, there were fireworks as Joel Miller talked about teammates.

“I can’t tell you how much they’ve supported me,” he said. “It’s been one of the great things.”

The fireworks ended. Joel Miller walked from the field. Someone yelled.

“Joel!” Skip Holtz shouted. “Stop being a media hound and get to the dining hall!”

Miller looked back and smiled. Holtz smiled, too.

Joel Miller on scholarship – feel what you want.

I feel good.