Braxton Miller Confirms He Will Remain at Ohio State for 2015-16 Season

Braxton Miller announced on Thursday that he's staying at Ohio State for his senior season and fully intends to compete with J.T. Barrett and Cardale Jones for the starting quarterback job. The decision further bolsters the Buckeyes' hopes of repeating as national champions.

Miller made the declaration during an interview with Tim May and Bill Rabinowitz of the Columbus Dispatch. He confirmed other schools "reached out hard" hoping to convince him to transfer, but ultimately this was the best decision for both him and his family.

"I'm from Ohio, this is my home state," Miller said. "This is where I started and this is where I'm going to finish it."

Before committing to another season at Ohio State, he was linked to several high-profile programs, including Oregon, LSU and Florida State.

While Ohio State will be happy to keep the dynamic playmaker and keep him away from other potential contenders in the process, there are plenty of questions to answer before the fall.

Of course, the biggest one is who will start under center against Virginia Tech on Sept. 7.

Miller is coming back from his second shoulder surgery, which forced him to miss the entire 2014 campaign. His passer rating in 2013 (158.1) was slightly below what Barrett and Jones posted during their stints, but his per-carry average that season (6.2) was higher than both replacements.

A lot will probably depend on if his shoulder is truly all the way back to full strength. Miller told the Columbus Dispatch that he probably pushed it too hard last time, but he's feeling much better now.

"Strengthwise, I'm solid," he said. "I'm doing all types of exercises all the other (players on the team) are doing. I don't have any pain, or aches, or anything like that. The only reason why they say I'm not 100 percent yet is a little bit (because of) the rotation in my right arm. But that's going to come, by throwing the ball every day. That comes with repetition. Other than that, I'm healthy."

The other question is what happens once the quarterback situation is decided. Miller said he's focused solely on winning the job, so it's unclear if he's willing to attempt a different position.

As the Buckeyes illustrated last season en route to the championship, having two reliable quarterbacks on the roster is a positive. Three might be too many, however, which could create some drama once the battle begins to heat up.

Miller decided that wasn't enough to warrant transferring to another school. Now it's up to him to prove he's best prepared to lead the team toward another title.