Braxton Miller of Wayne High School in Huber Heights, Ohio will announce his college decision on Thursday, June 3rd.
Miller is one of the most highly recruited players in the country, with offers from Ohio State, Southern Cal, Alabama, Florida, Notre Dame, Michigan, Tennessee and many, many others.
I personally am very excited about the prospect of Miller choosing the Buckeyes. In fact, I would be absolutely shocked if he went elsewhere.
That being said, anything can happen in recruiting, so Buckeye nation and a lot of other fan bases will be on notice come Thursday.
Video and analysis after the jump.
The reason Miller is such a highly sought after recruit is his athleticism. While not quite the phenom that Terrelle Pryor was out of high school, Miller’s foot work and arm strength are off the charts.
Many experts feel that Miller’s throwing mechanics and arm strength are much further advanced than Pryor’s at this point in their respective careers (heading into their senior season of high school).
A quick glance at some highlights and it is easy to see why Miller is so highly touted.
While comparisons to Pryor are inevitable due to their tremendous ability and the fact that Miller is the heir apparent to Pryor at Ohio State (assuming he chooses the good guys, of course), I personally think that a more apt comparison may be with Troy Smith.
That is obviously a pretty lofty comparison, but their similar size, footwork (Miller may even be a bit better here), and arm strength are the main things that lead me to make this comparison.
Raw ability is not the only thing that makes a successful college football player, particularly at the QB position. Anyone who follows recruiting knows this all too well.
For Miller to fully capitalize on his abilities, he will need a tremendous work ethic and attitude. This is where many before him have failed or have learned the hard way (the route that Smith took).
The point is, while the Miller-Smith comparison is a valid one and one to get excited about, there are many steps in-between now and then.
Cautionary tails of recruiting aside, Miller would be a huge pick up for Ohio State. If it was signing day on Thursday this would certainly be a recruiting story to parallel other recent high profile targets that I won’t mention.
The fact that he is committing before summer makes this even better than a high profile signing day commit in my opinion.
One (have I mentioned this before?), I would be absolutely shocked if Miller didn’t choose the Buckeyes.
Two, it shows that Miller does not place a high priority on the glamor and drama that go along with making a signing day or all-star game decision. Recruits that like to soak in the spot light tend to not buy in to what Tressel has to offer. By making his decision early, Miller has proven that he is not one of those recruits.
Three, it gives Miller an opportunity to recruit other high profile players to join him at his school of choice (we are all looking at you Trey DePriest).
So while Ohio State fans may not get as excited about this as they will for decisions later in the year, they should.
In summation, Thursday will be a big day in college football recruiting, and very likely a big day for Ohio State football.
Stay tuned to The Buckeye Battle Cry throughout the week for more coverage of this huge announcement.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
