Morning Conversational: Can Harry Miller Compete For a Spot Right Away?

Today’s Topic: Can Harry Miller Compete For a Spot Right Away?

Any time a college football team signs a 5-star recruit, the expectations for that player generally include immediate contributions.

This can be difficult for some positions, like quarterback and offensive line.

Quarterbacks need to have enough of an understanding to lead an offense, while linemen have to be strong enough to hold up against older players, and the technique required when battling against defensive linemen who have seen it all.

Ohio State has had true freshman quarterbacks lead the offense twice in the last decade, and both — Terrelle Pryor and Braxton Miller — were 5-star prospects. Neither started the season opener, however.

On the offensive line, the Buckeyes had Michael Jordan starting at left guard in 2016 as a true freshman.

Expecting an offensive lineman to come in and start is generally unrealistic, but there are times when coaches are convinced that a player can come in and push for playing time.

Ohio State incoming freshman Harry Miller is one of those players.

“I have a gut feeling that he can,” OSU offensive line coach Greg Studrawa said on Monday.

And Studrawa is not alone in his thinking, because Miller is not your standard incoming freshman.

“First off, yeah, I think absolutely Harry can come in and compete right away,” Buckeye head coach Ryan Day said this week. “He’s very intelligent. He’s been spending a lot of time Facetiming with Coach Stud trying to pick up the offense. He’s in Nicaragua right now on a mission, but he’s still looking over stuff even in another country.

“He’s really been working hard in terms of lifting and getting himself physically ready with Coach Mick. He’s been videoing himself working out, and that’s part of our deal here. So yeah, yeah, we expect him to come in here and play right away. And that was part of the conversation during the recruiting process.”

Miller is certainly preparing to play this year, but that’s not unusual. All players put in work as high school seniors in order to be ready to play as freshmen. Sometimes they see the field, sometimes they don’t.

Ohio State is fairly deep on the interior this year, which is where Miller projects. Even still, Studrawa sees plenty of reason why Miller could play right away.

“He’s mature, he’s strong,” Studrawa said. “They did a bench test and they sent it into [strength coach Mickey Marotti], he did 225 26 times. I’m watching guys at the combine and guys that workout that don’t even get that. So that’s another thing that tells me [he can play early].

“He’s really smart. The fact that he’s down there, breaking down plays, studying the film, calling me at night, ‘Coach, what happened on play 19 in period six?’ That tells me he’s got a chance.”