Ohio State’s advanced camp last Friday was not just for seniors – or juniors, for that matter, either.
One
of the more intriguing prospects at Friday’s camp was Huber Heights
(Ohio) Wayne quarterback Braxton Miller, who started nine games last
season as a freshman at the Dayton-area Division I school.
The
6-2 and 185-pound Miller is already hailed as one of the top 2011
prospects in the Buckeye state. Miller, a cousin of former OSU wide
receiver Dee Miller, is a multi-dimensional quarterback who passed for
over 1000 yards and rushed for 500 as Wayne finished the season with an
8-2 record. He boasts 4.47-second speed in the 40-yard dash.
Miller
talked about his day at Ohio State, where he was an equal to the
various high school upperclassmen who were there trying to impress the
coaches.
“I feel
like I fit in there,” Miller said. “I think I did a good job of
throwing the ball. I had a chance to talk to the coaches there. There
were coaches from Ohio State as well as other colleges. I think it was
a good experience. I picked up some things.”
Even
before attending the OSU camp, Miller had already fielded his first
college offer. Cincinnati and coach Brian Kelly offered Miller during a
visit to the UC campus.
“That
happened last winter,” Miller said. “I couldn’t believe they were ready
to make an offer, but Coach Kelly said he was offering me a
scholarship.”
Ohio State did not follow suit last Friday, but Miller knows that OSU coach Jim Tressel and his staff are interested.
“I
had been there before and visited with the coaches then,” Miller said.
“On Friday, Coach Tressel talked to me about how they had Terrelle
Pryor coming in and maybe I could follow him. But they haven’t said
anything about an offer yet. They said I just need to keep working and
get bigger and stronger.”
Miller said it is a natural to consider Ohio State, considering its proximity and the family ties.
“I
grew up watching a lot of Ohio State games,” he said. “(Dee Miller)
talks to me about going to Ohio State. He says to just keep working
hard and I'll be there.”
Miller noted how college coaches dropped in at Wayne High School this spring.
“Coaches come to my school and talk to my coach,” Miller said. “A whole bunch of coaches have been out. They leave their cards.”
When asked about how he excels at quarterback, Miller said, “I think I bring a lot of energy to the game.”
Last
year, Wayne ended up ninth in the Division I Region 4 playoff standings
and just missed a playoff berth. Wayne dropped a 28-21 decision in
overtime to rival Centerville in Week 8. Despite the loss, that was one
of Miller’s best games as a starter. He was 17 of 34 passing for 202
yards with a touchdown and two interceptions. He also had 122 yards and
two touchdowns rushing on 15 carries.
Following that game, longtime Centerville coach Ron Ullery joked, “I want to check his birth certificate. He’s a tremendous talent.”
Miller
came off the bench in Wayne’s season opener, a 19-7 loss to venerable
Cincinnati Colerain. He hit on 10 of 15 passes for 149 yards against
the powerful Cardinals in his varsity debut.
Two
weeks later, Wayne blanked Beavercreek 28-0 with Miller hitting on 10
of 12 passes for 137 yards and two touchdowns and rushing 12 times for
87 yards and a score. In Week 9, he capped Wayne’s 21-18 win over
Kettering Fairmont with a 25-yard TD pass to Troy Gilmer.
Wayne
coach Jay Minton will begin his 10th year with the Warriors and his
18th season as a varsity coach. He has coached any number of Division I
college athletes, including OSU standouts like Steve Bellisari, Will
Allen and Marcus Freeman and former N.C. State star Tramain Hall.
“He’s
just a freak,” Minton said. “We would not normally play a freshman like
that. But he went in for the second half of the Colerain game and he
never looked back. He just stole the job.
“Not
only is he better developed physically, but he is also mentally more
developed. He is just so much more mature than you would think for a
kid so young. Sometimes you just forgot he was a freshman. But he has a
full year under his belt. With a trigger man like we have back and a
good supporting cast, we are optimistic.”
Minton hopes to enjoy three more years of stellar play from his young star.
“It’s
hard to think of Braxton as being just a freshman because he is a
special player,” Minton said. “It is going to be great to watch him
grow into a better player with each passing year. The kid doesn’t make
a whole lot of mistakes because of his poise and his maturity. He is
going to be something else, something the Miami Valley hasn’t seen in a
while.”
