Ohio State recruiting: Quarterback commit Jack Miller has elite potential

Have a question about Ohio State recruiting? This is the place for you, five days a week. Submit your questions on Twitter or on the Lettermen Row forums. Check in daily to see what’s on the mind of Buckeyes fans all over the country. Today we’re talking about which Ohio State 2020 target is being somewhat “forgotten” by Buckeyes fans and analysts.

Ohio State Recruiting Question of the Day

Is there a recruit that Ohio st fans aren't talking enough about either underrated or someone that isn't projected in the class

— Nathaniel Manley 🌹MPP (@ginntroy) April 8, 2019

In the country’s sixth-ranked 2020 recruiting class, there are not a lot of players flying under the radar. But it’s pretty clear that with the additions of guys like Jakob James and Trey Leroux that the Buckeyes aren’t necessarily star chasing in Ryan Day’s first full recruiting class. What that means is that there are going to be a handful of guys who feel like they’re not getting the national attention or publicity fans are used to Ohio State commitments and targets getting.

And I know it will sound weird to say it, but for my money, the one guy that right now isn’t getting enough love is the one playing the most important position on the field: Ohio State commitment Jack Miller.

I know Miller is not under-ranked by any measure. He’s the country’s fourth-ranked pro-style quarterback and fifth-ranked quarterback overall, but for whatever reason he isn’t regarded as a sure thing at the next level like D.J. Uiagalelei and USC commit Bryce Young are.

Miller has prototypical size at 6-foot-4 and 210 pounds, and in my opinion he is the most natural passer in the Class of 2020. He can make every throw and does so with accuracy and touch, an unusual attribute for the average prep quarterback who relies mostly on throwing a fastball every time he lets loose.

Often in recruiting, when a player commits early he loses a little clout on the recruiting trail. That’s especially true for quarterbacks — and even more true for players who don’t mess around by committing while still continuing to play the recruiting game. Miller has been committed since last June, and he’s been locked in on Ohio State and only Ohio State since.

There’s an old football adage that the backup quarterback is the most popular guy on the team. To put a recruiting spin on that which might apply here: The least important recruit is the guy who is committed and not looking around.  Miller has been a positive recruiting force for the Buckeyes, but he’s not the world’s most aggressive social media user. I think that means sometimes he falls out of the minds of folks who are obsessed with the glitz and glamour of the around-the-clock recruiting phenomenon that the business has become.

When you look back at the Urban Meyer Era at Ohio State, it was clearly defined by J.T. Barrett, the first quarterback recruited by Meyer himself. Though Miller committed to Meyer and Day, the first-year Buckeyes head coach could’ve moved on and chosen another guy to lead his offense into the future. But he didn’t, and Miller has been his guy since the summer of 2017. His role in the future of Ohio State football is key and shouldn’t be overlooked.

Even if Miller himself occasionally is.

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