Bodpegn Miller Knows Patience Is Key In Transition To Receiver

As a senior at Ontario High School, Bodpegn Miller was a star quarterback and finalist for Mr. Football in the state of Ohio. Now as a freshman at Ohio State, Miller’s days of quarterbacking are gone as he makes the transition to wide receiver.

Miller combined to rush and pass for over 4,000 yards and 40 touchdowns last season, but came to Ohio State to learn under OSU offensive coordinator Brian Hartline how to be a wide receiver.

Miller has camped at Ohio State in the past, which is where he earned his offer last June. Hartline worked him out, saw how he moved (4.44 40-yard dash), witnessed how hard he worked, saw the 6-foot-4 and 180-pound frame and thought there were some possibilities worth exploring.

Those possibilities are now being developed, but they won’t be developed overnight.

“The reason I came here is not because it’s easy, but because it’s hard,” Miller said this spring. “I’ve got people pushing me every day, wanting to see me be great. And that’s just part of being a Buckeye.”

Miller enrolled in the winter and has spent every day becoming more and more of a wide receiver. Despite the athletic ability, it hasn’t been an easy transition. The position is too nuanced for simplicity.

“It’s been amazing,” Miller said. “Six months ago, I was playing quarterback in high school, and now I’m playing receiver. So the transition’s been a little rough at first, but Coach Hart has done a great job of teaching me stuff. I’m just learning a lot. I’m getting better every day.”

The toughest part has been the minutiae. The little things that Miller never had to worry about as a quarterback, like footwork and coming out of breaks and securing the football properly. With every step, every cut, every reach for the ball, there is something that could be correct or could be incorrect, and the feedback is always immediate from Hartline and assistant receivers coach Devin Jordan.

But Bodpegn Miller is learning. Every day, he finds something new. Like the fact that he is bigger than everybody who tries to defend him.

“Honestly, probably just using my length and just using my big body,” he said of one of the things he has learned since his move to receiver. “I have a big frame, and sometimes I can just use my body to create separation. Just playing big.”

The move from quarterback to receiver is not unique in college football. It’s not even unique among Buckeyes named “Miller.” But that doesn’t mean it’s been easy for any player making the move. It requires complete buy-in and a level of patience that is growing more and more unique in today’s college football.

“Oh, yeah, definitely,” Miller said of the need for patience. “Coach Hart told me that at the beginning. He played quarterback in high school, too. He had to make a transition to receiver here at Ohio State. He’s helped me. It’s going to be rough at first, but he has to push me to get me to where I need to be.”