Braxton Miller's Reported Position Switch Means Ohio State's Much-Discussed Quarterback Battle is Now Down to Two

By Tim Shoemaker on July 24, 2015 at 1:05 pm
J.T. Barrett and Cardale Jones
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Braxton Miller’s reported switch to the wide receiver/H-back position late Thursday night sent shockwaves across the college football world.

Miller, who was a three-year starter at quarterback for Ohio State and was the two-time Big Ten Player of the Year, missed all of the 2014 season with a torn labrum. He was expected to return fully healthy in 2015 and compete with J.T. Barrett and Cardale Jones — who helped guide the Buckeyes to a national title — for the starting spot in what was going to be an unprecedented quarterback battle.

But Miller revealed to Sports Illustrated’s Pete Thamel on Thursday he has plans to switch to the wide receiver/H-back position for his final year at Ohio State. He also hopes to return some punts, as well.

Immediately, the Buckeyes’ much-discussed quarterback situation suddenly dwindled from three high-caliber players to two.

“For the most part, it’s going to be H-back and punt return,” Miller told SI. “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.”

Ohio State has been in this position before, though, having to choose between Barrett and Jones. The circumstances are different now, of course, and each player has had a ton of success after getting an opportunity to play last year in Miller’s absence, but the decision remains the same.

Barrett is the more efficient of the two. He’s the perfect fit for Urban Meyer’s offense and has the ideal combination of throwing and running. Last season, his first as a starter, Barrett threw for 2,834 yards and 34 touchdowns (against 10 interceptions) while rushing for 938 yards and 11 additional scores. He completed over 64 percent of his passes and finished fifth in the Heisman Trophy voting.

Barrett fractured his ankle in the fourth quarter of this season’s Michigan game which paved the way for Jones to step in and lead Ohio State to its three biggest wins of the season. In those three contests, the 6-foot-5, 250-pound Jones — who unquestionably has the stronger arm of the two — threw for 742 yards and five touchdowns (against two interceptions) while rushing for 90 yards and a score.

Both Jones and Barrett are extremely talented players and both have proven themselves to be fully capable of being successful at this level. It wouldn’t be surprising to see both play and to see Miller occasionally run some packages at quarterback, as well.

Meyer can’t really make a wrong decision with who he chooses, but ultimately a decision will be made.

It’s going to be fun to see how it all plays out.

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