There was no lack of positives if you were looking for them. Harry Miller, entering his first season as a starting offensive lineman for Ohio State a year ago, had all the momentum on his side.
He had already arrived at Ohio State with five-star pedigree and as somebody who prioritizes his work in the classroom enough that he decided not to enroll early in part because he wanted to become his high school’s valedictorian, which he did. Once on campus in 2019, he began to get praised repeatedly for his ability to maneuver a typically steep learning curve and for, as Josh Myers described it, doing stuff in practices that he “should not be able to do” if he had been a typical true freshman center. Though he didn’t get to Columbus until the summer, he turned into the backup center by the time the season rolled around.
Once the calendar flipped from 2019 to 2020 and Miller went from being a freshman to a sophomore, he was in prime position to slide into a starting role.
Of course, asking somebody to be a first-time starting offensive lineman in just their second year within a college program is always a significant challenge. But based on all of the signs, it was fair to wonder, how could he not thrive?
“He did a great job in the offseason, changing his body and getting stronger,” Ryan Day said of Miller in the days leading up to the October season-opener.
Miller’s first time starting, however, was rocky. He took his lumps, made his mistakes and even missed some games.
The second-year Buckeye graded out as a champion for his performances in games against Penn State, Indiana and Northwestern but was the only starting offensive lineman not to grade out as a champion in games against Nebraska and Michigan State. When he moved from left guard to center for the game at the Spartans, his accuracy on his snaps was an issue. Three times, he got called for holding in the win versus Rutgers. He played better in the Big Ten championship game, but even still, a holding call against him negated a would-be Justin Fields touchdown. Then, he tested positive for COVID-19 which knocked him out of the Buckeyes’ College Football Playoff semifinal. He was back in uniform for the national championship but Matthew Jones started over him.
All in all, not the season Miller wanted.
That’s what makes makes 2021 so important for him, and for his team.
Any time an Ohio State player or coach was asked about Miller amid his struggles last season, they expressed confidence that he’d be just fine. Myers noted the reality that it was a "weird year" and that Miller was just 19 years old and a first-year starter, Nicholas Petit-Frere said he's the "last person" he'd worry about when it comes to getting on track, and Ryan Day said he's "gonna have a really good career here.” Because, again, how could you not feel as though somebody like Miller will figure it out?
The turnaround didn’t happen a year ago. It could, perhaps, happen this fall instead.
Miller, despite not starting in the blowout loss to Alabama, appears to be a shoe-in to start for the Buckeyes with the only remaining question being whether he’ll be at left guard or center. Greg Studrawa, when asked this spring whether he’s one of the best five linemen and thus will start, answered like somebody who believes in the idea that every position should be up for competition in the offseason even if he knows the eventual outcome.
“I would assume he’s going to be one of the best five,” Studrawa said in April. “But again, these young guys are getting the reps and getting the work, but when the preseason comes, Harry’s going right back into that mix, whether it be at center or whether it be at guard. But you’re right, we’re working on the best five, and I would assume he’d be one of them, but we’ll see.”
We will see. And we will also see if Miller can turn into the dominant interior lineman that Ohio State envisioned him becoming when it landed him and brought him from Columbus to Georgia as the second-best center in his recruiting cycle.
Sometimes, things don't click right away for people. For Miller, that was the case in his first season as a starter.
This fall, after six starts and a year of seasoning, he'll have a chance for some redemption.
