Why UK’s veteran QB thinks one Wildcat is the ‘best freshman WR’ he’s ever seen
Entering his sixth season of college football for four different programs, Zach Calzada is well accustomed to the constant churn of new teammates.
So his answer about what Kentucky freshman wide receiver DJ Miller did to distinguish himself since arriving on campus should turn heads.
“DJ Miller is the best true freshman receiver I’ve ever seen,” Calzada said. “The biggest thing to me was I knew he was talented, but he does everything right. He comes in, he’s where he’s supposed to be, when he’s supposed to be there, and he just goes to work.”
While it might not come as a surprise to hear a Kentucky freshman compared favorably to the first-year receivers at Calzada’s last program, FCS Incarnate Word, it is worth remembering that Calzada spent the first three seasons of his career playing for traditional SEC powers Texas A&M and Auburn.
During those stops, Calzada saw three four-star wide receivers and one five-star receiver arrive on campus as freshmen.
Miller lacked similar hype as a consensus three-star prospect in the 2025 recruiting class, but a bit of signing day drama hinted at his potential.
When UK coach Mark Stoops announced the bulk of the 2025 high school class in December, Miller was initially missing. Unable to comment on unsigned players, Stoops only told reporters the staff expected the final verbal commitment to sign his letter of intent in the next few hours.
That time period came and went without Miller confirmed as part of the class.
The fears of a late flip arose after Kentucky lost wide receivers coach Dakiel Shorts to Nebraska. Dane Key, the Wildcats’ 2024 leading receiver, followed Shorts to Nebraska in the transfer portal. Promising freshman Hardley Gilmore later would do the same (before eventually returning to UK in the spring).
With Tennessee and Ole Miss among the other SEC schools pursuing Miller, there were legitimate reasons to worry he might look to a higher profile program and more prodigious offense.
A day later, Kentucky finally confirmed Miller had signed though, and he wasted no time proving the value of that decision after enrolling in time for spring practice.
“He’s just a guy that just has to put it all together,” Stoops said after one spring practice open to reporters that featured an acrobatic Miller catch. “He’s just one of those guys. He operates really smooth. I’d like to see a little more urgency out of him at times, but he is definitely a great young man. And works really hard and likes the coaching. He buys into everything.
“When we give him opportunities like that, he can make some plays. And so just let him grow up, let him continue to get better.”
Listed at 6-foot-3, 204 pounds, Miller already looks the part of an SEC wide receiver. In a Kentucky wide receiver room featuring just four returning players who combined for 33 total catches last season, there should be plenty of opportunities for Miller to earn a featured role too.
In preseason practices open to reporters on Friday and Saturday, Miller worked mostly with the second-team offense. He is competing with Gilmore, Ja’Mori Maclin, Fred Farrier and Oklahoma transfer J.J. Hester for a spot in the rotation at outside receiver.
“Coming in I knew (about the opportunity),” Miller said. “It really didn’t matter to me. I feel like, either way, I’ll have an instant impact, just because of my ability. … We got a lot of talent, like the whole room. I feel excited.”
Despite his physical gifts and growing hype, Miller is not a finished product.
During Saturday’s Fan Day practice, he dropped multiple catchable passes — though drops were an issue for the Wildcats’ veterans as well. He acknowledged the early enrollment to participate in spring practice taught him there is work to be done off the field to make sure he has the consistency needed to be available when his number is called. Mastering a college offense is a challenge for most freshmen.
But Miller continues to perform well enough to suggest he is up to all those tasks. Three years after Barion Brown and Dane Key broke onto the scene as UK freshmen receivers, Miller could play a major part in replacing their production after both players elected to transfer for their final season of eligibility.
“DJ Miller is a dog,” backup quarterback Cutter Boley said. “He’s very, very talented. He can do a lot of things.
“He can get out there and roll. He’s a big body receiver that has really good hands. He can make a lot of really good contested catches. … I’m excited to see what he can do.”
This story was originally published August 4, 2025 at 10:15 AM.