COLUMBUS, Ohio — As Urban Meyer adamantly claimed at a May press conference that Braxton Miller would be returning to Ohio State this fall, the speculation surrounding the Buckeyes quarterback seemed to finally be coming to an end.
But with a little less than two months to go until the start of the 2015 season, it now appears that Miller's future will be revealed with a bang, and not a whimper.
After posting on Twitter that he had just undergone a successful checkup with Dr. James Andrews and physical therapist Kevin Wilk, Miller revealed to Tim May of the Columbus Dispatch that he'll publicly comment on his future for the first time since tearing the labrum in his throwing shoulder as soon as next week.
Per May: "In response to a question from the Dispatch about what it means for his future, Miller wrote back that he expects to announce his immediate plans next week."
It remains unclear what form Miller's announcement will come in and, more importantly, what the content of that message will be. But if the two-time Big Ten MVP is just sticking with the status quo and preparing to take part in an unprecedented quarterback competition alongside Cardale Jones and J.T. Barrett, an "announcement" would seem strange, which is why speculation is once again surrounding Miller's name.
As opposed to last winter, however, it's probably too late for Miller to realistically take advantage of his ability as a graduate transfer and spend the 2015 season playing for another school. Furthermore, ESPN.com's Joe Schad reported on Thursday that Miller will indeed be staying at Ohio State.
But what about a move to a different position?
That's intriguing—and would very well warrant an announcement from the Huber Heights, Ohio, native.
Fantasy position switches are nothing new when it comes to Miller, who fans have often envisioned playing a spot other than quarterback, thanks to his dynamic ability as a runner. The possibility of him playing either wide receiver or running back in Meyer's spread offense only seemed to gain momentum last season, when it was revealed the Buckeyes have two other viable options at quarterback in Barrett and Jones.
"All of our conversations are about health of the athlete. I just want to see him get healthy," Meyer said in March when it was suggested to him that Miller could potentially play a new position. "To sit there and start saying how about safety or cornerback or H-back or receiver? No, we haven't had that conversation."
The three-time national champion head coach, however, went on to add: "I think he's athletic enough to."
Not many would debate Meyer on that point, given that Miller has rushed for 3,054 yards and 32 touchdowns over the course of the first three seasons of his college career. Meyer may not have had a conversation with Miller about a position change back in March, but three months have since passed and the reality is that he's still behind Barrett and Jones when it comes to both his health and momentum, having not played a down of football for 18 months.
Factor in that a position switch would give Miller the best chance at securing an NFL career and it makes even more sense that the 6'2", 215-pounder would consider no longer being a signal-caller. Miller has shown bright spots as a passer, but as a player he's not unlike former OSU quarterback Terrelle Pryor, who recently had to make the move to wide receiver in order to prolong his professional career.
Converting to wideout could similarly behoove Miller, even though his skill set would appear best suited for a transition to running back. But when you take into account the presence of Heisman front-runner Ezekiel Elliott, the ability to get as many as five wideouts on the field at a time and Miller's injury history, wide receiver would appear to be his best bet—and would also allow him to attempt the occasional rush, or even pass.
If Miller can catch—maybe the biggest "if" in all of this—it's not hard to envision a world where Meyer puts his speed to use in the passing game, most likely as a downfield threat. There simply aren't many players in college football faster than Miller, who has run a reported 4.32 40-yard dash, and it wouldn't take much time to learn how to run routes that would require him to do little more than run in a straight line.
Four recruiting cycles into the Meyer era, Ohio State has no shortage of talented wideouts already on its roster. But if the Buckeyes head coach has shown one thing, it's that he'll always have a place for a player with speed like Miller's.
And with the passing prowess that Barrett and Jones displayed in his absence, that place may simply no longer be at quarterback. Having passed on the NFL (twice) and the opportunity to transfer almost anywhere else in the country, Miller will do anything it takes to get on the field this fall and boost his draft stock, even if it means stepping outside of his comfort zone.
It certainly remains possible that Miller will stay the course, give the quarterback competition his best shot and go from there. After all, when asked about his signal-caller situation at his annual youth camp on Wednesday, Meyer included Miller in the conversation, stating that the fifth-year senior is close to full strength.
But soon enough, we'll have answers—answers that many of us have been seeking for almost a year. In one way or another, however, next week's announcement will make an impact—something that Miller's no stranger to doing.
Whether he'll make that impact throwing passes or catching them in 2015 remains to be seen.
Ben Axelrod is Bleacher Report's Big Ten lead writer. You can follow him on Twitter @BenAxelrod. Unless noted otherwise, all quotes were obtained firsthand. All statistics courtesy of CFBStats.com. Recruiting rankings courtesy of 247Sports.
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