Wayne QB Braxton Miller will be a Buckeye

[jimbo]

In what could be Ohio State's most significant pickup at quarterback in close to a decade, the Buckeyes landed four-star QB Braxton Miller (Huber Heights, Ohio/Wayne), the No. 2 quarterback in the Class of 2011, on Thursday when he chose Ohio State over Florida and a host of other offers.

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncaa/recruiting/football/news/story?id=5246734

Glad to see Tressel was able to keep this kid in the state.

[bucksfan2]

:thumbup:

[Buckeye33]

This is a nice get for OSU. If Pryor has the year he and the Bucks are capable of then Pryor will be gone after this year. Miller would then be in a battle with Kenny Guiton for the starting gig in 2011.

[BuckWild03]

This is a nice get for OSU. If Pryor has the year he and the Bucks are capable of then Pryor will be gone after this year. Miller would then be in a battle with Kenny Guiton for the starting gig in 2011.

It kind of sounds like this kid and Guiton are cut from the same mold.

[NorrisHopper30]

Damn I've known for years that Braxton was a semi-lock to OSU, but I always heard UC had a real small chance as well because of our offense..best of luck to Braxton.

[Buckeye33]

It kind of sounds like this kid and Guiton are cut from the same mold.

Guiton has really developed more than anyone thought possible in his short stint in Columbus, but Miller has a much stronger arm than Guiton.

The battle will come down to Miller picking up the offense and gaining JT's trust. He'll be enrolling early so that will obviously help him quite a bit.

[BuckWild03]

Guiton has really developed more than anyone thought possible in his short stint in Columbus, but Miller has a much stronger arm than Guiton.

The battle will come down to Miller picking up the offense and gaining JT's trust. He'll be enrolling early so that will obviously help him quite a bit.

It will certainly be an interesting battle to watch for in '11.

[Oxilon]

Huh...biggest QB recruit in almost a decade? Uh-huh...it's not like Pryor was a top recruit or anything...

[BuckWild03]

Huh...biggest QB recruit in almost a decade? Uh-huh...it's not like Pryor was a top recruit or anything...

Yeah, ESPN has some short term memory loss.

[guttle11]

I think Miller has a much higher ceiling than Pryor ever had. Pryor was a stud because of his legs and what his arm could be. Now that he's grown up a bit and has been under Tressel for a while, he should really take off the next two years. Miller already has the great arm and the running game. His learning curve won't be as steep. And unlike Pryor, it looks like Miller will get a year as a backup or redshirt to learn, because I can't see Pryor leaving early. He's going to have to overhaul his game to be a big time NFL prospect, and I don't see that happening.

[Oxilon]

I think Miller has a much higher ceiling than Pryor ever had. Pryor was a stud because of his legs and what his arm could be. Now that he's grown up a bit and has been under Tressel for a while, he should really take off the next two years. Miller already has the great arm and the running game. His learning curve won't be as steep. And unlike Pryor, it looks like Miller will get a year as a backup or redshirt to learn, because I can't see Pryor leaving early. He's going to have to overhaul his game to be a big time NFL prospect, and I don't see that happening.

Regardless, both Rivals and Scout had Pryor ranked #1 overall (and #1 QB needless to say). If that doesn't constitute a highly recruited QB -- nothing does. And for what it's worth, Rivals isn't as high on Braxton (#56) as Scout is (#4).

[BuckWild03]

And for what it's worth, Rivals isn't as high on Braxton (#56) as Scout is (#4).

That's very strange. What's with the discrepancy?

[Joseph]

Not at all an OSU fan, but I like kids staying close to home. Good luck young man.

[kaldaniels]

Quote from the author - "In what could be Ohio State's most significant pickup at quarterback in close to a decade"

Say What? Do we forget that fast?

[guttle11]

Regardless, both Rivals and Scout had Pryor ranked #1 overall (and #1 QB needless to say). If that doesn't constitute a highly recruited QB -- nothing does. And for what it's worth, Rivals isn't as high on Braxton (#56) as Scout is (#4).

The thing with Rivals and Scout, their business model is almost entirely subscription based. Pryor was the guy that everyone wanted to read about, and the fact that he was uncommitted the whole time drove that talk. His ranking had more to do with that than what people thought of him on the field compared to others. If it had, he wouldn't have been #1. He may not have even been the #1 QB.

With Braxton, you have a kid that's been considered a virtual lock to Ohio State since his freshman year. That doesn't sell, so maybe you get a more realistic scouting report on him. The updates were nothing more than "well, USC offered, but he's still pretty much going to Ohio State".

And Pryor came from an area (Mid-West/Western PA) that is known for its stars above all else (Montana, Marino, Unitas). Even mediocre QB's like Anthony Morelli are hyped to the max coming from Western PA. In Ohio, the programs always trump the stars. Massillon, Moeller, St Iggy, St X, Elder, Mooney, Steubenville...and on and on). National names on the high school level. Who's the most nationally known Ohio High schooler, Chris Speilman? Mo Clarett? Ohio isn't a player state, it's a team state.

From a sheer on the field viewpoint, Braxton Miller looks more advanced than Pryor did at that age, against better competition (D-1 talent all over nearly every team on Wayne's schedule every year). He's got a better arm, a better grasp of running an offense and reading coverage, and his athleticism is up there. He's not 6'6" though, which is another reason why Pryor was so hyped. Pryor is tall, but he's not good because he's tall.

All of this is a ton of words to basically say, it's not really that crazy to say Miller may end up being a better get than Pryor when it's all said and done. He's that good. Rankings are one thing (a business), actual talent and how he'll translate in the college game are another.

[11larkin11]

That's very strange. What's with the discrepancy?

Take a look at Rival's rankings, and you'll see they have an insanely unhealthy obsession with the South. They take the SEC speed!!111!11!!1111!!! thing to the heart.

And, its also pretty known that once players commit, they get dropped in the rankings because people like the suspense of the "top" prospects picking on signing day, especially those that commit to non-SEC/USC schools.

[JaxRed]

My High School...... just sayin'.......

[15fan]

Take a look at Rival's rankings, and you'll see they have an insanely unhealthy obsession with the South. They take the SEC speed!!111!11!!1111!!! thing to the heart.

I wouldn't say it's an unhealthy obsession. I'd say it's more a reflection of reality.

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/football/nfl/draft-history-graphic.htm

Click on the "By High School" tab.

Any way you slice it, California (1), Texas (2) and Florida (3) are hands down the leaders with respect to HS football. 2 of those 3 states are in the South. If you add up the number of NFL draft picks from OH/PA/MI, it equals the number of NFL picks from FL, and still lags the number of picks from TX. Basically the same number of NFL picks from LA as there are from OH. Georgia has produced 50 more NFL picks than OH. VA and NC both have produced about the same number of NFL picks as PA. SC, AL and MS are each on par with MI and IL.