6 SEC Schools That Would Be Good Fits for Ohio State QB Braxton Miller
Just one year ago, Ohio State quarterback Braxton Miller was in the thick of the Heisman Trophy race and his team was preparing to make a run for the inaugural College Football Playoff.
The Buckeyes made the playoff and will play for the national championship on Monday night against Oregon, but this came without their veteran star taking the snaps.
Miller suffered a season-ending shoulder injury in August, and the combination of J.T. Barrett and Cardale Jones led the Buckeyes to the promised land.
Where will Miller go from here? He has already graduated from Ohio State and can transfer to an FBS institution without sitting out a season.
As College Football Talk notes, he has already been connected to several schools—including LSU—despite consistent denials from Miller and Ohio State coaches during playoff media sessions.
Would Miller fit in the SEC? It depends on the school, scheme, depth chart and willingness to be bold. These six should dip their toes into the Miller market.
LSU Tigers
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LSU is the obvious choice for Miller, and it appears those tires are already being kicked.
According to Steve Schneider of WAFB in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Miller "could be headed" to LSU. What that exactly means remains to be seen, but the move would make a ton of sense for both parties.
Miller completed 63.5 percent of his passes (162-of-255) in 2013 for 2,094 yards, 24 touchdowns and seven interceptions while rushing for 1,068 yards and 12 touchdowns in head coach Urban Meyer's spread attack.
Does LSU run the spread? No, but both current quarterbacks, Anthony Jennings and Brandon Harris, are similar in that they have the skills to run Les Miles and offensive coordinator Cam Cameron's pro-style system while adding a dimension on the ground.
They just didn't run it very well in 2014.
Jennings got the majority of the snaps and completed just 48.9 percent of his passes (111-of-227) for 1,611 yards, 11 touchdowns and seven interceptions. Harris only started on the road at Auburn and was relegated to the bench by halftime.
Miller is a much more accomplished passer and runner than the two participants in LSU's current quarterback battle and would stabilize a position in Baton Rouge that—save for Zach Mettenberger's senior season in 2013—has been unstable since Matt Flynn won a national title in 2007.
Ole Miss Rebels
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Ole Miss has become "Transfer U" over the last few years, as Jevan Snead, Jeremiah Masoli, Randall Mackey, Barry Brunetti, Bo Wallace and Chad Kelly all have made their way to Oxford, Mississippi, after stops at previous institutions.
Could Miller be next?
Kelly, a former Clemson quarterback who spent last season at East Mississippi Community College, signed on junior college national signing day in December and will battle with DeVante Kincade and Ryan Buchanan for Wallace's old job.
Kelly brings baggage, though, and even if he's good enough to win the job, his dismissal from Clemson and recent arrest on a non-criminal charge of disorderly conduct in Buffalo, New York, are causes for concern.
Miller doesn't have the same baggage and is a perfect fit for head coach Hugh Freeze's offense. Freeze didn't rule out the possibility of adding another quarterback during the offseason when Bleacher Report asked him about it following the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl.
"You're going to consider anyone you feel like helps your football team move another step forward," Freeze said. "I'm anxious to see both of those guys [Kincade and Buchanan] go to work, and whoever else we decided to bring in during the spring...we've got a lot of kids returning too."
Freeze's decision on whether to pursue Miller likely hinges on what punishment he decides on for Kelly. Although it shouldn't, because the Miller/Freeze combination would terrify opposing SEC defenses.
Florida Gators
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Rising sophomore Treon Harris and redshirt freshman Will Grier will compete for the starting quarterback job in Jim McElwain's first season as Florida's head coach, but is that reassuring for Florida's coaches and fans?
Harris sparked some life into Florida's offense down the stretch and Grier—while loaded with pro-style potential—is still unknown.
Miller can bring a veteran, playmaking presence to Gainesville to help ease the transition to a program that has desperately needed an offensive spark ever since Tim Tebow graduated following the 2009 season.
McElwain has used pro-style quarterbacks at his previous stops as Colorado State's head coach and Alabama's offensive coordinator, and new offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier spent last season with Devin Gardner and Shane Morris at Michigan after two years at Alabama.
But Nussmeier was successful as Washington's offensive coordinator with Keith Price, who's very similar to Miller in that he's a dual-threat quarterback with some polish in the passing game.
Florida has a stable of running backs, a potential star at wide receiver in Demarcus Robinson and coaches looking for a quarterback who isn't just a playmaker, but is also smart enough to know what not to do on the fly.
Miller can be that guy.
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South Carolina Gamecocks
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South Carolina lost quarterback Dylan Thompson and running back Mike Davis after a disappointing 7-6 season. Now, on top of lingering defensive issues, head coach Steve Spurrier and his staff will also be searching for offensive stability in 2015.
Miller could be the guy to provide it.
South Carolina was at its best with Connor Shaw taking the snaps from 2011-2013, and that's exactly what Miller can bring to the table.
He's dangerous on the ground, which would allow Spurrier and the staff to call more zone reads, and is smart and efficient in the passing game.
His presence would allow Spurrier and quarterbacks coach G.A. Mangus to be more creative with the play-calling, spread opposing defenses out and, ideally, get ultra-versatile wide receiver Pharoh Cooper more involved in a variety of ways.
Alabama Crimson Tide
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A year ago, the idea of Braxton Miller at Alabama would seem like a square peg in a round hole.
Then offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin and quarterback Blake Sims happened, and the idea of a dual-threat quarterback operating in Alabama's more traditional offense now seems much more realistic.
Would Kiffin's offense click with guys like Johnny Manziel or Nick Marshall taking the snaps? Probably not, but Miller is much more polished as a passer. His passer rating improved in each of his three seasons taking snaps in Columbus, and he posted a 158.08 rating in 2013—which is better than Sims' number in 2014 at Alabama (157.87).
Alabama's quarterback competition is wide open for the second straight season, with Jake Coker, Alec Morris, Cooper Bateman, David Cornwell and true freshman Blake Barnett all vying for the top spot on the depth chart.
Kiffin and head coach Nick Saban already showed the willingness to dip into the free-agent quarterback market once when they nabbed Coker from Florida State last offseason, so why not go that route again?
Mississippi State Bulldogs
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Mississippi State's willingness to wade into the quarterback free-agent market this offseason is contingent on junior signal-caller Dak Prescott's draft decision. As of Jan. 8, Prescott hadn't made up his mind, per Michael Bonner of the Jackson Clarion-Ledger.
If Prescott jumps early, Miller in Starkville would make a ton of sense.
Head coach Dan Mullen got his break as Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer's offensive coordinator at Florida, so Miller should be able pick up the Bulldog offense with relative ease.
On top of that, he'd have a monster receiver outside in De'Runnya Wilson to work with in an attempt to keep the program at the competitive level it enjoyed in 2014.
Prescott has until Jan. 15 to declare for the draft, so if Mississippi State is going to get into the Miller market, it better move fast after the Buckeyes play Oregon in the College Football Playoff National Championship Game.
Barrett Sallee is the lead SEC college football writer and video analyst for Bleacher Report, as well as a co-host of the CFB Hangover on Bleacher Report Radio (Sundays, 9-11 a.m. ET) on Sirius 93, XM 208.
Quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. All stats are courtesy of cfbstats.com, and all recruiting information is courtesy of 247Sports. Follow Barrett on Twitter @BarrettSallee.
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