Ohio State football: Is Harry Miller the Buckeyes’ next great center?
By Del Barris
Ohio State football fans are well aware of the ongoing arguments over which school is DBU, or RBU, or pick-a-position-U. If you look at the last 50-plus years of the Ohio State program, they could easily be CenterU.
Starting in 1966 with Ray Pryor, the Buckeyes have produced nine All-Americans, while eight others have been named first-team All-Big Ten. That’s 17 Ohio State centers who have been first-team All-Americans or All-Big Ten since 1966. My guess is there isn’t another program in the country that can match that. With Harry Miller moving back to the position for 2021, is he in line to be the next great Ohio State center?
The former five-star recruit from Buford, Georgia played in all but one game last year. He moved to left guard last season and suffered through a subpar year. Miller was flagged for numerous holding penalties (three against Rutgers alone) and often looked confused in blitz pick-up situations. If any Buckeye suffered from a lack of spring practices last year, it was him.
The mechanical engineering major is limited this spring due to an injury. Because he’s moving back to a position he’s played before, I don’t think this is cause for concern. Miller will still be able to work at learning to make the correct pre-snap blocking calls at the line of scrimmage because those adjustments are based on the alignment of the defense.
Despite Miller’s struggles in 2020, he did show us what he’s capable of being at times and impressed enough to be named third-team All-Big Ten. You don’t average 257 yards per game as a team running the ball without being strong through the middle of your offensive line. He has all of the tools to be the Buckeyes’ next great center, but he needs to be more consistent with his performances.
If Miller does not become an All-American on the field this season, he’s almost certain to be named an Academic All-American. The Big Ten honored him as one of their academic all-conference team members. He was one of 60 conference athletes to carry a 4.0 GPA in the fall.
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The Ohio State football team is hoping that he can play up to the great level he was expected to play at when they recruited him. His role isn’t guaranteed though.