Meyer, Miller’s father aren’t sold on his receiver switch yet
Ohio State’s Braxton Miller said he’s going to be spending a lot of time at receiver in fall camp. His coach Urban Meyer and his father aren’t so sure that the switch will be permanent.
Meyer told the Columbus Dispatch that he hasn’t made any decisions on a position switch just yet.
Miller told Sports Illustrated that he’s planning on spending 80 percent of his practice time in fall camp at H-back and 20 percent at quarterback in the fall.
“I haven’t made those decisions yet,” Meyer said. “It seems like it’s a little bit jumping the gun. Braxton came to see me. … He’s been talking to me about it. We’ve been working at it. But I’m not ready to say exactly how we’re going to use him yet.”
Miller’s dad, Kevin, said Miller was open to a switch if his shoulder wasn’t fully healed from the two injuries he’s suffered. Miller had surgery for a shoulder injury following the 2014 Orange Bowl and suffere another shoulder injury in August. He missed the entire 2014 season.
As for playing receiver, Kevin Miller said, “That’s not his plan, but if it comes down to that, he’s already been putting in work. You don’t want to wait until the last minute.”
A position switch for Miller would mean Ohio State’s quarterback competition would be down to J.T. Barrett and Cardale Jones. He told Sports Illustrated a switch would happen because his shoulder wouldn’t be 100 percent when the season begins.
If a change happens, it may benefit more than Ohio State’s prospects in 2015. An athlete that Meyer told the Dispatch “can do just about anything he wants,” has an NFL future. But it’s likely not at quarterback. Moving to receiver now could not only give Miller a jump on route running and other aspects of playing a receiver position but could also boost his draft stock.
Will it happen? Well, we don’t thing Miller would be mentioning it if it wasn’t the likeliest scenario. Meyer has said previously he’s been brainstorming ways to get his quarterbacks on the field at the same time and this would be an easy way to do it. While Miller could contribute in a traditional H-back capacity, his throwing ability would also give Meyer some ability to add wrinkles to his playbook.
For more Ohio State news, visit BuckeyeGrove.com.
– – – – – – –
Nick Bromberg is the assistant editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter!
