Miller has himself ready for that next major step

BUFORD, Ga. – High school graduation is right around the corner for players like Ohio State offensive line signee Harry Miller. There is a frenzy of last-minute friends and family obligations before the start of June and a report date to Ohio State to mark the start of a collegiate career.

Miller is one of Ohio State's highest decorated recruits in terms of recruiting rankings in the class of 2019. While a handful of his classmates took the option to enroll early, the nation's No. 44 player overall and four-star offensive center decided to enroll at the traditional date of the start of the summer and finish out his high school career with things like prom, the traditional cap and gown graduation ceremony and just a few more months of the pace of being in high school rather than being thrust into college life.

There certainly are pros and cons of each approach, being an early enrollee and waiting until summer. Miller is happy with his choice and it has given him a chance to be in the best possible place before starting college.

"I have loved this because it's given me a time to recalibrate, and let my body readjust, not go straight into these things, and prepare, and mentally," Miller said. "Just have a break so that I can attack college with full energy and without fatigue."

Miller noted that if he would have enrolled early, he would have had to leave the adidas All-American game and go straight to Columbus (Ohio). This has given him a chance to ease into things and see friends just for a little bit longer.

"It's been nice to be able to sit down, go to the lake with my friends, go do things with my friends," Miller added. "It's very possible I don't see a lot of them again, and so, it's kind of important that we enjoy this time right now and make some memories."

This does not mean that Miller has not been focused on what the future holds for him with the Buckeyes. He has been in contact with his future coaches and has been given some marching orders in terms of how best to prepare to hit the deck running.

"Physically getting ready and working out six times a week, and running two to three times a week, and working that in," Miller said. "Just getting ready physically, and then again, we were able to communicate with Coach (Greg Studrawa) a little bit and go over plays. It'll be good to show up with preparation."

Miller visited Ohio State for the annual spring game and now as a signed player, the sales pitch is not exactly in place for him as recruiting has turned to the class of 2020 and beyond.

There were no concerns with any of that as Miller really had a chance to spend more time with his future teammates, both from within his signing class and beyond. it's really funny because "Now it's like you shake hands with a coach and you go sit down to eat, and usually, the last time, they're all like, 'Oh, oh, oh,' everybody's giving you handshakes and being super, giving you all the attention," Miller joked. "Now they got to do it to the 2020 guys, and make sure that they're recruiting efficiently."

Miller knows he will come in as a low-man on the totem pole, so to speak. It can be humbling for many players who have been national recruits for several years, have been courted by countless big programs and told that they hang the moon and the stars, only to come into a program and just be one of the 85 scholarship players, and worse yet, on the bottom of that group, often only noticeable by a piece of masking tape on their helmet with their name penned above their facemask as everyone still learns a new set of roster numbers.

"It kind of sucks compared to being a high school senior, but it's also a nice level of obscurity," Miller said. "It lets you do things without too much attention; lets you get into things without the world's expectations."

Over the next few days we will bring you the second part of our interview with Harry Miller where the Buckeye offensive lineman shares what his faith and his mission work bring to him and a story of healing that can only be described as miraculous.