The Ohio State quarterback battle will be a two-man race in 2015.
Buckeyes senior Braxton Miller told Sports Illustrated on Thursday he’ll switch to wide receiver this upcoming season after three seasons playing quarterback. That leaves junior Cardale Jones and sophomore J.T. Barrett to compete for Ohio State’s starting QB job in 2015.
Miller, who sat out all of last season after undergoing surgery on his throwing shoulder, told SI he hasn’t completely ruled out playing quarterback and that he’ll likely spend 20 percent of the team’s training camp working with the QBs. But the 22-year-old’s shoulder still isn’t at full strength, so he’ll focus his energy primarily on being a versatile skill-position player.
“For the most part, it’s going to be H-Back and punt return,” Miller told SI in a phone interview Thursday. “It’s a long process to get back totally to throwing and throwing every day. This is the smarter thing for right now, God blessed me with a lot of talent and different opportunities. I’m going to have fun with that and still score a lot of touchdowns and help the team out and be dominant at that.”
It’s a surprise move for a player who twice was named Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year as a quarterback, but one that undoubtedly will help the Buckeyes. Miller’s shift takes some heat off a controversial QB battle, and his rare athletic ability opens plenty of doors on offense for the defending national champions.
“It’s going to be electric,” Miller added. “We had a great season last year, but we didn’t see anyone do off-the-wall type stuff. I’m sure guys miss seeing an explosive, 60-yard shake-and-bake run every once in a while.”
Thumbnail photo via Steve Mitchell/USA TODAY Sports Images
