"Once one receiver sees a guy make a play, he wants to get into the mix," Arizona State receivers coach Hines Ward told the media on Wednesday. "Which is a good thing."
In the fallout from Arizona State's loss to Texas A&M, ASU receiver Reed Harris has been showered with praise throughout the week after his nine-catch, 189-yard, two-touchdown performance against the Aggies.
But if you asked anyone in the offseason who would sport this stat line in College Station for the Devils, the majority of answers would likely not feature Harris.
It would be Omarion Miller .
The Colorado transfer caught all the hype over the summer, making the Biletnikoff Award preseason watchlist and even being dubbed "the next Jordyn Tyson", a 2026 first-round pick in the NFL Draft, who made his breakout with ASU after coming over from Boulder.
How did he fare against the Aggies? Nine catches on 15 targets for just 29 yards, a fumble, no touchdowns and an average of 3.2 yards per catch.
It was not the SEC visit that Miller was hoping for, but as Hines Ward said, once one receiver goes off, another is waiting in the wings. Which raises the question: When will Miller's breakout performance be? And could it be against Kansas?
Swing passes and screens were the name of the game for Miller and the Devils offense in Week 1 against Morgan State, where he recorded 102 yards on eight catches with a touchdown.
When the competition ramped up from FCS to SEC caliber, the same game plan fell flat.
Screens were blown up and chances never materialized outside towards the sidelines. Miller's best chance of the day came on a slant in red zone, but the ball sailed through his hands on a fastball from Cutter Boley, a crucial miss that left the Devils out of the endzone.
Through two games, Reed Harris appears to fit the "Jordyn Tyson" mold more properly than Miller, being the downfield "X-receiver" threat with a bigger frame.
One thing Tyson or the prior Sun Devils didn't have? This much depth in the receiver's room. Reed and Miller are hands-down WR1-caliber, and the distraction of Harris, coming off a big game, may open up opportunities for Miller in London.
But, how will a defense like Kansas stack up against this scheme?
If anything, the Devils may have a chance to get both receivers going. Kansas allowed two different Missouri receivers (Donovan Olugbode and Cayden Lee) to reach 120 receiving yards in their loss to the Tigers.
"I think their philosophy is to try to put stress on the opponent schematically," ASU head coach Kenny Dillingham said about Kansas in Tuesday's media availability. "I think they do that in all three phases. I think they put schematic stress on everybody involved in the game plan. So you've got to be extremely dialed."
In a battle between two teams that applaud execution and love to keep their opponents guessing, could a new look for Miller be the next rabbit out of the hat for Dillingham on Saturday?
While Miller's workload has been mostly behind or at the line of scrimmage, his "downfield" targets have been vanilla, most notably a simple out route for a touchdown and a 25-yard post against Morgan State.
The jury on ASU's trust in Miller in traffic and the middle of the field remains out, especially following his red zone miscue in Week 2. This is a stark contrast to his work at Colorado and his training camp highlights, which featured a lot of downfield work and contested catches.
Whatever route or design he is assigned, one thing is clear: the Devils want to get the ball in the hands of their playmakers, and Miller might have the best playmaking ability on the roster.
ASU and Kansas's last matchup featured some tricks up Dillingham's sleeve, including a successful fake punt to swing the momentum towards a Sun Devil victory. In 2026, Dillingham and Co. have already run a surprise onside kick and an unsuccessful fake punt in just the first two games.
If the Arizona State bag of tricks shows itself on offense this Saturday, expect Miller's playmaking to be involved.
While questions may circle Miller's stock after two games, this is not unfamilar (or panic-worthy) territory for the senior receiver.
After just four catches through two games in 2025 for Colorado, Miller broke out in Week 3 with a six catch, 88-yard performance with a touchdown.
It was a season to forget for the Buffaloes, but Miller was a bright spot. Two of Colorado's three wins featured Miller going for 80+ receiving yards and a score.
From Week 3 on, Miller's next six of nine appearances would feature the receiver going for over 80 yards and a touchdown, including two games with multiple touchdowns and two games of over 120 receiving yards.
According to his track record, Miller's climb to Biletnikoff prominence is set to begin in London, as the Big Ben-sized clock starts to slowly wind down on the transfer receiver's time to boost his 2027 NFL Draft stock.
Arizona State and Kansas are set to kick off at 5:00 p.m. London time; 9:00 a.m. MST in Arizona, on Saturday, September 19, on FS1.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/arizonastate as Why Kansas Could Be The Perfect Opponent For ASU's Omarion Miller .
