Even though he already had an official visit scheduled for the final weekend of June, Christen Miller didn’t want to wait until then to make a trip to Ohio State.
So the four-star Georgia defensive tackle made an unofficial visit on Wednesday, where he went through a one-on-one workout with Ohio State defensive line coach Larry Johnson, toured the Woody Hayes Athletic Center and paid homage to Michael Jordan during his obligatory jersey photoshoot.
4 5 On Me like Mj In 95 #GoBuckeyes pic.twitter.com/xzKhMiGEun
— Christen Miller (@Trenchking2) June 2, 2021
Miller, who’s also scheduled to make official visits to USC and Louisville later this month, wanted to make sure Ohio State’s coaches knew how interested he is in the Buckeyes.
“I just wanted to show Ohio State I was serious,” Miller said. “I learned in life that don’t talk about it, be about it. So I wanted to show them that I was about it. And I made that point.”
Had Miller made his unofficial visit to Ohio State on a day when there wasn’t a camp happening, coaches would have been the only ones watching his workout. Because his workout came between the morning and afternoon sessions of Ohio State’s first recruiting camp of the year, however, members of the media were on hand to watch him run through drills and take video of it, some of which you can see below.
Miller, who is not only a star football recruit but also an aspiring actor, enjoyed the extra attention.
“I’m a superstar. Cameras supposed to be around me, that’s how it’s supposed to be,” Miller said with a laugh. “I love it better when people watching me.”
Knowing he had the opportunity to not only impress Johnson but also everyone who was there for the camp, Miller showcased why he’s one of Ohio State’s top interior defensive line targets for the recruiting class of 2022.
“I wanted to show how athletic I was,” Miller said. “I’m 300 pounds, I’m 6-5, and not a lot of people can move like me. So I just wanted to show Coach that I can run with the wide receivers, I can run with the outside linebackers and show that I’m an all-around athlete. And what I learned from today is there’s a lot of stuff I can work on from my stance to my hands and a lot of stuff. But he told me there was a lot of stuff that I already did good, and it was minor adjustments that I could make. But he said he loved how I finished all the workouts, he loved the motor that I had, the energy, he loved everything about it.”
Miller, who is ranked as the No. 118 overall prospect in the recruiting class of 2022, will be back at Ohio State from June 25-27 for his official visit.
Brown will return for another camp
Springfield wide receiver Anthony Brown showed why he is ranked as one of the top five prospects in Ohio’s recruiting class of 2023 at Wednesday’s camp, where he demonstrated his ability to get open with his speed, quickness and route-running skill, as you can see in the video below.
After his workout, Brown spent time meeting with Ohio State wide receivers coach Brian Hartline, who told Brown – the No. 150 overall prospect in the 2023 class – that he views the 5-foot-10, 170-pound speedster as a potential future slot receiver for the Buckeyes.
Wednesday’s performance wasn’t quite enough for Brown to earn an offer from Ohio State yet. It’s possible an offer could come later this month, though, as Hartline asked Brown to return to Ohio State to participate in another camp on June 22, where Hartline specifically wants to see what Brown can do as a punt returner.
“Overall, he said I had a good performance, but he wants me to come back June 22nd to catch a few punts,” Brown told Eleven Warriors after the camp.
Great day at OHIO STATE today! Thank you! @brianhartline @ryandaytime @BillyFessler pic.twitter.com/c24x6HzZAw
— Anthony Brown (@anthonybrownn_) June 2, 2021
Before then, Brown will visit several other schools. He’s scheduled to camp at Penn State this weekend, and is also planning to make trips to Purdue, Minnesota, West Virginia and Maryland, along with possibly a couple of additional schools.
Brown currently holds offers from a dozen schools, including Minnesota and West Virginia as well as Cincinnati, Iowa State, Kentucky, Pittsburgh, Tennessee and Wisconsin, among others. But even though he doesn’t have an Ohio State offer yet, he says the Buckeyes’ coaches – specifically offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson – have been in contact with him more than most of the schools who have offered him.
“Lately we’ve been talking every day, so I like how he’s keeping in touch,” Brown said.
Brown says Ohio State has “always been my dream school.” Whether Brown ultimately ends up at Ohio State, though, could depend on the relationships he builds with Hartline and the rest of the coaches, which he says is one of the most important factors in his recruitment.
“I’m going to be away from my family for a little minute, so I want to feel the same way I feel when I’m home and when I’m not,” Brown said. “So I think that plays a big part into where I’m going to go.”
Ohio State “very high” on Herring’s wish list
Another highly touted 2023 prospect at Wednesday’s camp was West Bloomfield, Michigan guard Amir Herring, who is ranked as the No. 110 overall prospect and No. 4 interior offensive lineman in his class. While he didn’t leave Ohio State on Wednesday with an offer, he believes he performed well enough that he could get one soon.
“I think I made a good case for me to get an offer from Ohio State,” Herring said after his workout. “I think my performance today really stood out to the coaches, and I can’t wait for the future.”
Herring said Ohio State is “very high” on the list of schools he’s hoping to receive offers from, along with Alabama, Clemson, LSU and Notre Dame. He’s planning to visit all of those schools this summer, as well.
Ohio State was the first school he visited following the end of the dead period, though. He made the trip to Ohio State before returning to his home state of Michigan for an afternoon visit with the Wolverines, who held their “Detroit Day” on Wednesday.
Had a great time at Ohio State Cant wait to get back pic.twitter.com/ytq44Uqjbn
— mir Hrrng (@amirherring55) June 3, 2021
Had a great time at Michigans Detroit Day pic.twitter.com/vquKFe5rIF
— mir Hrrng (@amirherring55) June 3, 2021
Like Miller, Herring wanted to visit Ohio State first to show the Buckeyes’ coaches just how interested he is in OSU.
“It was just a big deal to (assistant offensive line coach Kennedy) Cook and (offensive line coach Greg Studrawa) if I would come here and give them my time,” Herring said.
The home-state Wolverines, who have already offered Herring, have been viewed as the frontrunner in his recruitment. His former head coach at West Bloomfield, Ron Bellamy, is now the safeties coach at Michigan.
Herring, though, said his recruitment is “open anywhere.” And he plans to make a return trip to Ohio State for a game this fall, likely for the Buckeyes’ home opener against Oregon on Sept. 11.
“I feel like in the near future, they’re gonna offer me a scholarship to play here,” Herring said.
Singleton could be another QB option
While only two quarterbacks, Nico Iamaleava and Eli Holstein, left Ohio State with offers on Wednesday, Malachi Singleton is another junior signal-caller who could potentially be a candidate for a future offer after participating in Wednesday’s camp.
Ranked as the No. 17 quarterback in the class of 2023 by 247Sports, Singleton put both his arm talent and athleticism on display on Wednesday as he was among the top performers in throwing drills and clocked a 4.5-second 40-yard dash.
“I was able to show off my speed with the 40 time, and I thought I did really well throwing the ball today,” Singleton told Eleven Warriors after his workout. “So I think they seen a little bit of everything today.”
Although Ryan Day and Corey Dennis didn’t make him an offer on Wednesday, he said they expressed interest in continuing to recruit him and want to see how he progresses during his junior season at North Cobb High School.
“They just told me to stay patient,” Singleton said. “I’m definitely high on their radar. Just to keep working, they’ll come see me during the season.”
Singleton, who plans to next camp at Clemson on Saturday and then at Auburn on Thursday, has reason to be interested in the Buckeyes, as he’s from Kennesaw, Georgia, which is also Justin Fields’ hometown. Singleton said he’s worked out with Fields a couple of times, and seeing what Fields did in Ohio State’s offense makes him intrigued by the possibility of also playing for the Buckeyes.
“I feel like we have similar skill sets, so I feel like I could really thrive in this offense,” Singleton said.
