Bukari Miles said he knew the kind of football player he wanted to be when he grew up.

Miles wanted to follow in the footsteps of his uncle, Conrad Hamilton, a former Eastern New Mexico defensive back who was a seventh-round selection by the New York Giants in the 1996 NFL draft before playing in 54 NFL games.

After one more semester at Lakota West High School in West Chester, Ohio, Miles will take that first step. He has committed to Ohio State football as a preferred walk-on cornerback in the 2024 class.

“I definitely see it as a challenge, but, I mean, I never backed away from any challenges,” Miles said. “So I’m going into this just like I’ve gone into anything else. Just ready to prove myself and show them I can play.”

The path to that step did not look like what Miles expected it to. He had aspirations of becoming a “big-time recruit” at Lakota West. In his first two seasons, Miles said, he was being recruited by programs such as Pittsburgh, West Virginia and Tennessee — his dream school.

But two weeks before the first game of his junior season, Miles tore an ACL during a 7-on-7 game. During the eight-to-nine-month recovery process, Miles said, his recruitment and discussions with those programs lessened dramatically.

“I don’t think I gave up hope on playing, but I was definitely down for a couple weeks or so,” Miles said. “But then I realized I'm a good player and I can still do anything I put my mind to.

“I really wanted to show they made a mistake and just because I tore my ACL didn’t mean that I couldn't move around like I could before my injury.”

Bukari Miles gets Ohio State's attention as senior

As a senior, Miles finished with second-team All-Greater Miami Conference honors after recording 27 tackles, five pass breakups and one fumble recovery. Miles earned offers from Eastern Kentucky, Army and Air Force, which he was previously committed to.

Miles said he played his best football at the end of his senior season by showcasing his ability as a “willing tackler” who can move well in space and make plays on the ball as a cover corner.

According to 247Sports, Miles is a three-star athlete, the No. 236 cornerback in the 2024 class and the No. 114 Ohio prospect.

After his senior season, Miles said Ohio State defensive assistant Gerren DuHart encouraged him to become a Buckeye and follow in the footsteps of former Lakota West players Tegra Tshabola and Malik Hartford.

And with his uncertainty about wanting to serve in the military, Miles saw a chance at Ohio State he could not pass up.

“It was more so like just the opportunity there is at Ohio State,” Miles said. “Once you get on campus, everybody has to work. It doesn’t matter if you’re a scholarship player or not. Really just the opportunity to prove myself and play at a high level and play against competition I feel I can compete against.”

During his freshman season, Miles said, he will be expected to learn the defense while potentially finding a role on special teams as a preferred walk-on. The opportunities, Miles said, will come in his second season.

And for Miles, a chance is all he wants.

“I mean, I’m competing for a spot just like everybody else,” Miles said.

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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State football: Why Bukari Miles became a preferred walk-on