CHICAGO — As a guy who has played on the defensive line for three years at Ohio State, Adolphus Washington may know better than anyone what it’s like to try and bring down the man who calls himself “the best athlete in college football.”
Of course, Washington has never been allowed to tackle Braxton Miller in practice as he has worn the customary black non-contact jersey throughout his career in Columbus spending his first three seasons at quarterback, but that doesn’t mean Miller hasn’t given Washington and others fits on the practice field.
“To be honest, he didn’t even need to wear that black jersey in practice,” Washington said Thursday at Big Ten Media Days. “He’s hard enough to tackle without it.”
Miller won’t be wearing that black jersey anymore, though, as he plans to play his final season at the H-back position. But just because he’s changing spots doesn’t mean he’ll be any easier to bring down. In fact, it may be even more difficult.
“I could imagine it’s probably one of the hardest things to do,” Washington said. “You never know where he’s gonna go. You could think you have him this way and he could go the other way. If you try to run up to him, try and break down and tackle him, he’s gonna run right past you.”
Miller has quite the history of making opposing defenders look bad. He has breakaway speed and his ability to shift and changed directions is unmatched by most.
That’s precisely why Ohio State’s players are excited to see what he can do at the new position.
“Don’t blink,” linebacker Joshua Perry said. “I’m telling you, he’s got some of the crispest, most ridiculous moves. His footwork his amazing, he’s really fluid and his speed is obvious.”
There are still question marks surrounding the move, obviously. Meyer said he still has yet to see Miller catch passes or run routes with a defender in front of him, but the Buckeyes coach plans to monitor the situation closely.
“Feedback I’m getting from guys like J.T. and Cardale is that he’s very athletic obviously and he can catch the ball,” Meyer said. “I’ll personally work with him myself. I was a receiver coach for a long time so I’m going to work with him.”
The possibilities and the potential seem endless for Miller. There’s a variety of different ways he can be used in his new spot. He can run the ball out of the backfield, run jet sweeps or go out for passes. He can also still throw the ball on a trick play.
Miller’s new role could make him the most dangerous player in college football.
The players who have gone against him every day in practice for the last three seasons feel the same way.
“His ability to stop and start is amazing. For me to actually see it in person is ridiculous,” Washington said. “He can go from running full speed to stopped and then just take off again. That’s amazing to me.”
