With the start of NFL free agency upon us, seasoned Southern Utah University football fans were watching for one name. Miles Killebrew, a former SUU student, recently inked a new $1.8 million NFL contract with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The safety and special teamer has spent four years with the Detroit Lions and five with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He will head to Florida for the next chapter of his football career. He signed a one-year deal worth about $1.8 million.
SUU tenure
Killebrew played for SUU all four years of college before graduating with a degree in engineering technology. He received several conference honors, with honorable mentions as an underclassman, second-team honors as a junior and first-team honors as a senior.
More than 20 NFL teams scouted Killebrew at SUU’s first-ever Pro Day. There, the Lions told him that they didn’t want to draft him at all. After they selected him No. 111 in the 2016 NFL Draft, they said their previous comment was meant to motivate him.
Professional career
As a 4th-round draft pick, Killebrew has had a stellar football career. He’s played in the NFL much longer than any other SUU alum. He is also a two-time Pro-Bowler and was the Steelers’ special teams captain for the 2024-25 season.
Killebrew sustained a significant non-contact knee injury in a mid-year game last season. Many pointed to the fact that the Steelers’ stadium grass was susceptible to damage from running, which can lead to slips and bad landings.
“I felt like the grass got really beat up,” said then-Steelers starting quarterback Aaron Rodgers at the time. “By the time the third quarter rolled around, that thing was really beat up, so I feel bad about what happened to Miles.”
Killebrew will be arguably the most experienced player at his position on his new team. He’ll continue to bring his Thunderbird spirit everywhere he goes and serve as an inspiration to SUU football fans back home as they wish him luck with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Author: Payson Davis
Photo Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
Editor: Fanny Felixine