Ohio State's 2015 senior class has a chance to win its 50th game over a four-year period New Year's Day in the Fiesta Bowl against Notre Dame. Before kickoff in their final collegiate game, Eleven Warriors will take a brief look back at each player's time in Columbus.
WHERE HE'S FROM
Braxton Miller, known by some as "one of college football's last superheroes," burst onto the scene as a 14-year-old freshman at Wayne High School in Huber Heights, Ohio.
A touch more than 30 minutes west of Columbus, Miller blossomed under head coach Jay Minton and became the heir apparent to Terrelle Pryor at Ohio State quarterback. During his senior season with the Warriors, Miller threw for 17 touchdowns and ran for 17 more as he led Wayne to the Division I state championship game. He enrolled early at Ohio State, hoping to get a jump at learning from Pryor.
We all know what happened next. Scandal ensued in Columbus. Within two years, both Pryor and Tressel were gone. The keys to the program were turned over to Luke Fickell prior to the 2011 season, and eventually Miller, who was rushed into duty as a much better alternative than Joe Bauserman.
Urban Meyer arrived ahead of the following season, dealt a hand that included a terrific talent at quarterback in Miller, solid tailback in Carlos Hyde but an inept wide receiving corps. The Buckeyes still went 12-0, with Miller doing it all and then some.
"We all know how average we were, especially on offense, our first year," Meyer said Nov. 18. "If you don't have that kid, you start your coaching career at Ohio State with a .500 or an 8-5, 8-4, whatever it is. If you don't get momentum then those other great things just don't happen. Certainly doesn't happen in that kind of time frame."
TOP MOMENTS
Take your pick.
We outlined Miller's best 10 plays as a quarterback this summer, a few days after learning of his intentions to switch to H-back/wide receiver for his final season.
There was the time Miller took flight on Indiana's defense and flipped into the end zone. Then that other time he toyed with Purdue defenders and flipped a shovel pass to Philly Brown in the end zone. Or his 81-yard touchdown jaunt against the Hoosiers as a freshman. Then, the video game like juke move at Penn State in 2012 and finally the touchdown pass to Devin Smith at home against Wisconsin in 2011.
Let's not forget the crazy spin move Miller unleashed at Virginia Tech in September, his first game as a non-quarterback.
Did we forget anything?
Of course we did, but that's the affect Miller has on people. Not only has he been at Columbus for five seasons—he sat out the 2014 national title season because of a pair of shoulder surgeries—but the two-time Big Ten Player of the Year filled up highlight tapes over the course of his career.
"Braxton was an ultimate competitor, is an ultimate competitor," Meyer said. "Just means a lot to us."
Miller made the position switch to release some pressure from his head coach in the three-way quarterback battle with J.T. Barrett and Cardale Jones this past summer, and because he didn't trust his shoulder to throw the ball with the needed ferocity to play the position.
Receiver is also the best chance Miller will have at playing at the next level due to his injury history.
"Just being a leader in my position, you’ve always gotta lead on and off the field," Miller said this summer. "Even if you’re not playing, you’ve gotta lead the guys. With me being hurt, I’ve still gotta place that leadership role."
It's difficult to encompass all the top plays from Miller's career into one section of a story. Even though he hardly ever speaks to the media, Miller's name is constantly in the news.
It was like that last summer when rumors spread about an apparent transfer. It was like that when his friend flew a drone above the car that dropped him off at the team hotel for fall camp in August.
Miller amassed more than 50 passing touchdowns and more than 30 rushing touchdowns in his illustrious Ohio State career. His bio page on the team website is easily the longest of any current Buckeye because of what he's been able to do on the gridiron.
He'll be difficult to say goodbye to if you're a Buckeye fan. Or, if you're Meyer.
"The tough one is going to be Braxton," Meyer said the Monday before Miller's Senior Day. "Because of what he's done for this program."
OVERARCHING CONTRIBUTION TO THE PROGRAM
Stability, loyalty, faith, trust – any of those will suffice.
Miller had the option to leave and start anew before his final season, but elected to stay and play a new position. He was pushed into a buzzsaw that was the 2011 season and was one overthrow at Michigan from leading the Buckeyes to an above-.500 regular season record that year.
The star athlete led the Buckeyes and their run-heavy offense to 24 straight victories the following two seasons, then played through a torn shoulder in the Orange Bowl because he knew he was the best chance his team had at winning.
"I'm not ashamed to say that we owe Braxton Miller," Meyer said Oct. 29.
It's been Meyer's intention this season to get his star ready to be an NFL wide receiver, though it hasn't been an easy transition. At times, Miller's inclusion in the offense has appeared forced, but he's still managed to score four touchdowns and gain more than 450 yards of offense in 2015.
"He's learning how to be a perimeter blocker for the first time in his life," Meyer said Oct. 2. "He can't play receiver here and not be great at it. That's the transition he's going through. It takes time."
Anyone making a drastic switch from something you've done your whole live ensures an adjustment period is unavoidable, but Miller has stayed true to Ohio State and his school has stayed true to him.
For instance: Can you remember anything from the last 10 Ohio State football seasons like the Ohio Stadium crowd's audible move to the edge of its seat when Miller readied to take a snap from shotgun in 2015?
"He knows that this is a place where we're going to help him, we're going to take care of him," vice president and director of athletics Gene Smith told Eleven Warriors in May. "He's smarter than what people realize, so I think he thinks about those things."
The victories, postseason title banners and slew of awards that filled the trophy cases in recent years would not have happened without Miller.
"I love Braxton Miller,” Meyer said after the Virginia Tech win. “He made a lot of decisions — as young people have to — and he did it for the best interest of his team and Ohio State."
WHERE HE'S HEADED
Miller is bound to get a shot at helping an NFL franchise, provided he continues to show a progression at wide receiver and stay healthy. His pure athleticism and speed alone will merit a draft pick.
Miller is working on a graduate degree after completing his undergrad requirements in communications in fall 2014. He claims his son is going to be a Buckeye, further illustrating how much the university figures into his life.
"I’m a Buckeye, man, I’ve got a tat on my shoulder," Miller said. "My son is gonna come here one day."
Miller calls himself "just an athlete" when he lined up behind center in 2015. How much he'll get a chance to do that in the final game of his collegiate career will be determined New Year's Day at the Fiesta Bowl against Notre Dame.
Above all, though, Miller knows what is needed for him to have a chance at making something happen either against the Fighting Irish or at the next level. It's been the same principle that made him an Ohio State legend.
"As long as I get the ball in my hands, I’m fine with it. It don’t matter," Miller said.
MORE MILLER
- Braxton Miller's Final Shot at Postseason Glory
- Braxton Miller puts the world on notice at Virginia Tech
- The story behind the drone that tried to document Miller's final year of college football
