Better Know a Buckeye: Bodpegn Miller Following in Brian Hartline’s Footsteps As He Makes Move from Quarterback to Wide Receiver

Bodpegn Miller never played wide receiver in high school, yet he earned a spot in Ohio State's 2025 class after showing off his potential as a wideout throughout multiple recruiting camps during the summer of 2024.

With the Buckeyes, the No. 282 overall player in the cycle will look to prove his worth as an Ohio State wide receiver after playing quarterback in high school, the same way Brandon Inniss and Brian Hartline once did and continue to do.

How He Became a Buckeye

When Miller attended a camp at Ohio State in mid-June of 2024, it came less than four months after he started training as a wide receiver. Even though he was still learning the position, Miller didn't look like a converted quarterback, winning most of his one-on-one reps throughout the camp.

After he showcased his potential at the position during the workout, OSU asked him to return the following week for a 7-on-7 tournament. The converted quarterback continued to show off his raw ability at wide receiver and clocked a 4.44-second 40-yard dash, improving on his 4.6- to 4.7-second 40 time a year prior.

Following his second impressive workout for the Buckeyes in less than a week, where he showcased his raw ability and tools as a wide receiver, Miller received an offer from Ohio State on June 18, 2024.

A Mansfield, Ohio native, he was a die-hard Buckeye fan, so it was a dream come true for Miller.

“It definitely feels amazing,” Miller told Eleven Warriors when he received that coveted offer from OSU. “It’s been a dream of mine since I grew up an Ohio State fan. It’s just a dream come true. All glory to God. Ever since I picked up a football when I was eight years old, I’ve been wanting to get this.”

The allure of playing for the program he always cheered for and loved was an opportunity he couldn't pass up. Miller committed to Ohio State just days after receiving an offer from the Buckeyes. He made the decision not only because of the opportunity to play for the Buckeyes but also the value of earning a degree from Ohio State.

“I want to be somewhere where they can develop me, not only as a football player but as a young man,” Miller said last June. “And somewhere that values education a lot. I want to have a Plan B other than the NFL because most people don’t make it that far. I want to set myself up for success.”

High School Years

As his team's best player, Miller was Ontario's quarterback his last three years of high school, ensuring that the best athlete on the field had the ball in his hands on every offensive play.

Miller had his best season as a senior. He completed 149-of-253 passes for 2,216 yards and 20 touchdown passes while also rushing for 1,988 yards and 21 touchdowns last year. He also played defensive back, totaling 41 tackles (three tackles for loss), a sack and three interceptions, and kicked and punted for Ontario, punting 22 times for 775 yards (35.2 yards per punt) in 2024.

TOUCHDOWN ONTARIO!! Bodpegn Miller goes in from a yard out to put Ontario up on Clear Fork 17-2 with 11:54 left in the game! pic.twitter.com/BOvN4z9oLn

— Jake Furr (@JakeFurr11) November 2, 2024

For his efforts on all sides of the ball as a senior, Miller was named one of eight finalists for Ohio's Mr. Ohio Football, along with fellow 2025 Ohio State signee Tavien St. Clair.

I had a great time today at@OhioStateFB camp! Big thanks to the
coaching staff for the warm welcome.@etwill21 @ryandaytime @brianhartline@OSUCoachHinton pic.twitter.com/Bzvd0h11sT

— Bodpegn Miller (@BodpegnM) June 14, 2024

Miller holds the Ontario High School football records for single-season rushing yards (1,988), single-season completion percentage (63.8%), single-season passing yards (2,216), single-season total touchdowns (41), career rushing yards (3,610), career passing yards (6,398), career total offensive yards (10,008), career passing touchdowns (54) and career total touchdowns (101).

Miller also set four school records in track and was an All-Ohioan in the 200-meter dash and 4x200-meter relay.

Immediate Impact

As an early enrollee, Miller is receiving plenty of advice, from both coaches and other wideouts, as to how he can use his athleticism, size and speed to his advantage as a wide receiver. That said, it hasn't come easily.

"The reason I came here is not because it's easy, but because it's hard," Miller said two weeks ago. "I got people pushing me every day, wanting to see me be great, and that's just part of being a Buckeye."

In his first spring in Columbus, he's learning how to play receiver – route running, footwork, coming out of breaks and catching the ball properly, specifically – and perfecting those the best he can. He's using his 6-foot-3, 180-pound frame to make as many plays as he can in practice, but he’s still learning the fundamentals of playing wide receiver full-time.

"The transition's been a little rough at first but Coach (Hartline) is doing a great job of teaching me stuff,” Miller said. “I'm just learning a lot, getting better every day.”

It's safe to say that Miller's first year (and likely second season) as a Buckeye will be learning how to be a wide receiver at the highest level, meaning he’s very likely in line for a redshirt year as a true freshman. 

Long-Term Impact

With his size and speed, Miller is a good candidate to play the X position once he fully develops into a wide receiver at Ohio State.

It will take some time for him to become an impact player at Ohio State, but he has the potential to become a future contributor and eventual starter at wide receiver for the Buckeyes. While he is a developmental project, Ryan Day is excited about what Miller can become once he has more experience playing his new position.

“Bodpegn is kind of the wild card (in this class),” Day said of Miller when he signed with OSU back in December. “He’s a local guy who came to camp, did some great things, ran some really good times. You watch him run some routes, which he hadn’t done a whole lot of in his high school career, and you see some really high-end things, especially with his size at 6-foot-4. And then when you watch some of the games he had this season, he’s very, very competitive at quarterback. I don’t know if it will be year one for him, but we think he can be a very, very good receiver.”

Player Comparison: Brian Hartline

A three-star recruit in the class of 2005, Hartline didn't see the field until he was a sophomore in 2006. The next three seasons, the high school quarterback-turned-Ohio State wideout combined for 90 catches for 1,429 yards and 12 touchdowns. Hartline became a fourth-round pick in the 2009 NFL draft and the 6-foot-2, 180-pound wide receiver played seven NFL seasons before retiring in 2015.

While the current landscape of college football is much more pass-happy than it was nearly two decades ago, Miller is capable of having a similar career for the Buckeyes if he develops the way Hartline and Ohio State think he can.