USC flips elite athlete from Mississippi State

It takes a lot to flip a recruit out of SEC country, and Steve Miller, a three-star athlete from Greensboro, Georgia, certainly qualifies as being from SEC country.

For all of USC’s struggles on the field this season, head coach Lincoln Riley and his staff have been doing a great job on the recruiting trail. That continues on Monday with the news that Miller, not even a month after receiving an offer from the Trojans, has flipped his commitment from Mississippi State to USC.

For Miller, it came down to more than just on-the-field decisions.

“What made me do it— just outside of football— was the education that USC has, plus the connections outside of football. You can be great either way at USC,” Miller told 247Sports.

Miller was also taken aback by the atmosphere at USC. Though he was in attendance for the Trojans’ 33-30 overtime loss to Penn State, the big-time loss was negated by an otherwise incredible atmosphere, in his mind.

“The atmosphere is amazing. My visit was very big in my decision. I got a good view of the campus and a great view of the city. I loved just being in L.A. and being around a group of people that will do whatever they can to help you,” Miller said via On3.

Though USC is 3-3 on the field, Riley is building an extremely strong 2025 recruiting class.

According to 247Sports, USC has the 10th-ranked class in the nation, now with 22 recruits verbally committed to be Trojans. Miller can be a playmaker on both offense and defense (he notched 1,406 all-purpose yards and 17 touchdowns to go along with six interceptions on defense as a junior) but he’ll be a defensive back at USC.

He’s the No. 51 safety in the country, according to the 247ports Composite.