Wayne’s Miller the total package at QB

Ohio State fans already hoping highly touted junior will come to Columbus.

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By Chick Ludwig, Staff Writer 8:56 PM Sunday, August 23, 2009

He runs. Oh, my, how he runs.

And he’s proven he can throw the football 70 yards in the air.

Wayne High School quarterback Braxton Miller has it all — size, arm strength, poise, charisma and leadership, plus 4.49 speed.

That’s why he’s considered Ohio’s top college prospect in the Class of 2011, the No. 1 player on Ohio High Magazine’s Top 150 list.

The 6-foot-2, 185-pound junior has been offered by Ohio State, and Buckeye fans are salivating at the thought of Miller one day taking over the quarterback reins when OSU sophomore Terrelle Pryor eventually leaves for the NFL.

“There are coaches who coach their whole career and they never get the fortunate blessing to coach a player like Braxton Miller,” Wayne coach Jay Minton said. “Everybody saw how much we missed him last year when he got injured. We want him to stay healthy.

“He’s matured a lot in the offseason. He’s a competitor and a leader, a quiet leader. He’s very coachable and very humble. Everything you’d want in a player, Braxton has it. It’s important to get the right people around him, and make them feed off of him and him feed off of them, and make everybody better.”

Wayne began the 2008 season 5-0, then Miller went down with a right leg injury in a 17-7 loss at Northmont. The Warriors finished 8-4, reaching the second round of the state playoffs. But they clearly missed their star QB, who completed 59 of 113 passes (52.2 percent) for 642 yards, five TDs and two interceptions.

If Miller signs with Ohio State in 2011, he could face three of his high school teammates at the next level. The Talbott brothers — defensive tackle Terry and cornerback Terrence — have committed to Michigan, while middle linebacker and captain Josh Harrison is headed to Wisconsin.

“Everybody sees Braxton as this superstar,” Terrence Talbott said. “I just see him as our quarterback. He can throw the ball and run the ball. He’s everything you want in a quarterback.”

Contact this reporter

at cludwig@DaytonDailyNews.com.

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