COLUMBUS — If playing football at Ohio State was easy, everyone would be a Buckeye.
Former Ontario High School star Bodpegn Miller is finding out just how difficult it is this spring.
An early-enrollee, Miller is in the midst of his first spring practice with the Buckeyes. The quarterback-turned-receiver is competing with and against some of the best collegiate players in the country as he learns a new position.
Classroom star
- Ontario graduate Bodpegn Miller played in Ohio State’s spring game on Saturday after entering collge in January.
- During the broadcast on the Big Ten Network, it was revealed that Miller has earned 32 college credits via his classroom work. He is already a sophomore, academically.
“The reason I came here is not because it’s easy. It’s because it’s hard,” Miller said during a recent media availability session at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center. “I’ve got people pushing me every day, wanting to see me be great.
“That’s just part of being a Buckeye.”
New OSU offensive coordinator and receivers coach Brian Hartline has been impressed with the early-enrollees in the receiver room. That group includes five-star recruit Quincy Porter, the first of the bunch to have his black stripe removed, and four-stars Miller, Phillip Bell and De’Zie Jones.
“I think Philip Bell and Dez Jones and Quincy Porter and Bodpegn Miller really have done a good job of putting in extra work and trying to get caught up,” Hartline said. “We’re going to have mistakes, we know that, but there’s a lot of care from the young guys.
“How good the younger guys are will really dictate how good the room is.”
OSU’s ultra-talented receiving corps also includes superstar sophomore-to-be Jeremiah Smith and emerging leaders Carnell Tate and Brandon Inniss.
“The (veterans) have done a great job of helping me, especially Carnell Tate,” Miller said. “They give me little pointers that have elevated my game already.
“Whenever I have trouble remembering something, (Tate) knows every little detail. If I ever need help with footwork, he’ll come out and help me. Whatever I need, he’s there.”
Transitioning to a new position comes with a learning curve. The details the other receivers have been refining for years are all new to Miller.
“The little things I didn’t even think about when I was playing quarterback — the footwork and coming out of breaks and catching the ball properly,” Miller said when asked about his biggest challenges to date.
“The transition has been a little rough, but (Hartline) is doing a great job of teaching me. I’m getting better every day.”
One immediately-noticeable difference between the high school version of Miller and the college edition is his physical size. He recently tipped the scales at 198.5 pounds — 20 pounds heavier than his high school playing weight.
The additional size, coupled with his speed — he placed sixth in the 200-meter dash at last year’s Division II state meet — make Miller one of the more enticing prospects in camp.
“I feel like I can take the top off the defense and I can play tough and physical,” Miller said. “You’ve got to be relentless and put in the work.
“It’s not easy by any means. It’s going to be hard, but you’ve got to put everything into it.”
Miller already has built a strong connection with fellow early-enrollee Tavian St. Clair, a five-star quarterback from Bellefontaine. That bond began forming before either arrived on campus in January.
“Before I even got an Ohio State offer and before I even knew who he was, I actually threw with him a couple of times in Bellefontaine,” Miller said. “I knew his head coach and he invited me in to run routes.
“I actually ran routes for Tavian before I knew who he was.”
The early arrival also gave Miller and his classmates a chance to get an up-close look as the Buckeyes thundered to a national championship in the first year of the 12-team playoff era.
“It definitely was a high-motivator,” Miller said. “It wasn’t really my team, so that makes me want to push for when it’s my team.
“I’ve got to put in the work and be in the same position with a ring on my finger.”