CHICAGO — For such an intimidating and dominating on-field presence, Ohio State junior linebacker Raekwon McMillan is somewhat quiet and subdued away from the field. He doesn’t enjoy talking about himself much, often deflecting questions from the media to discuss the team.
This was perfectly illustrated Tuesday at Big Ten Media Days when a reporter asked McMillan a simple question: What can you do even better this year as a player?
“Not lose to Michigan State,” McMillan said. “For starters, not lose to Michigan State and just get back to the Big Ten championship game.”
The Buckeyes’ somewhat stunning loss to the Spartans last season at Ohio Stadium clearly wasn’t on the shoulders of McMillan — Ohio State’s offense was at fault more than anything — but his particular response to this question illustrated the point perfectly: McMillan was asked a question about himself and answered it in relation to his team.
McMillan’s position coach, Luke Fickell, has stated multiple times he felt McMillan would one day wind up as a captain for the Buckeyes. Now, after just one full season as the starting middle linebacker, that’s exactly what’s happened. McMillan is the leader of Ohio State’s defense and there are no questions about it.
Last season, he was a sophomore starting on a team flooded with upperclassmen who were future NFL players. Now, he’s a junior and one of just three returning defensive starters. Things have changed and changed quickly, but the Butkus Award finalist doesn’t seem to mind.
“It just speaks volumes about the guys before me: Curtis Grant, Joshua Perry. Just learning a lot from those two guys as I’ve grown and developed throughout the years,” McMillan said. “They helped me mature a lot. I had to come in and mature fast just like I did growing up in Georgia, had to mature fast and they helped me a lot and put me in this leadership role and helped me get into this leadership role that I am today.”
As the starting middle linebacker, McMillan is the quarterback of Ohio State’s defense. He’s the focal point. He’s the captain.
He’s also a tackling machine that led the Buckeyes a year ago with 119 stops. Having the best player, and the most influential player, in the middle of the defense is something that certainly gives Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer some hope.
“You want that in the middle of your defense because you raise the level of play around them,” Meyer said.
There aren’t a whole lot of household names on this year’s Ohio State team, but McMillan is certainly one. He has to be as one of the few returning starters from last year’s team. He must be the Buckeyes’ top performer on and off the field.
McMillan has seen the growth in himself. Now, he must get others to develop with him.
“My freshman year I was just out there taking chances and made a bunch of mistakes as well,” he said. “I trusted myself last year way more when it was time to commit to a play and go make a play I actually went to go do it.”
