Did Les Miles, LSU Have ​a Chance to Steal Braxton Miller from Ohio State?

COLUMBUS, Ohio — When Braxton Miller confirmed two weeks ago to the Columbus Dispatch that he will be spending the 2015 season at Ohio State, it was supposed to bring an end to the speculation that has surrounded the Buckeyes quarterback throughout the college football offseason.

But while there's no longer any doubt about what team Miller will be playing for this fall, LSU head coach Les Miles has provided some interesting insight into the process that led to the two-time Big Ten MVP's return to Columbus.

Speaking to ESPN during his "car wash" tour of the network on Monday, Miles revealed that he was interested in making a run at Miller, who as a graduate transfer would have had the ability to gain immediate eligibility for the 2015 season had he opted to leave OSU. While he declined to mention Miller by name, the Tigers head coach made it clear that discussions about adding Miller to the roster had taken place within his program following a season in which LSU struggled mightily at the quarterback position.

ESPN.com's Trav Haney relayed a few of Miles' comments:

That second part, pertaining to Miller's surgically repaired shoulder—which cost him his 2014 season before it even started—is particularly interesting, as it would imply that Miles had insight into the Buckeyes signal-caller's recovery process. That doesn't jibe with the message that Miller and Ohio State have been sending for the past few weeks, as each has insisted that his return to Columbus was never in question.

"Nah, I'm a Buckeye, man, I've got [an Ohio State] tat on my shoulder," Miller said when asked if he ever considered leaving OSU during a two-minute meeting with reporters prior to leaving for the ESPYS last Tuesday. "My son's gonna come here one day."

Added Buckeyes head coach Urban Meyer: "I wasn't surprised. I knew [Miller was returning] since last January. Just 'cause he's a quiet guy I guess, but the rumors went on and on and on. I keep hearing questions and I'm like, 'Where is this coming from?'"

That seems to be the company line in Columbus—repeated by multiple Ohio State teammates of Miller's—that he was always going to remain a Buckeye. But Miles' comments show why that always seemed to be in question up until recently, and perhaps it's not a coincidence that LSU was one of the many teams linked to Miller as a potential destination as a transfer back in January.

Miller's 10 months of silence on the topic didn't do much to quell the speculation, either. And once he did talk, he admitted to the Columbus Dispatch that other programs had tried to convince him to leave Ohio State.

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"Schools reached out. They reached out hard," Miller said. "And I kept my head where it needed to be, and I stayed smart with my situation."

While Miller would later distance himself from that statement, clarifying that he was just referring to rumors, the reality remains that for a period of time this offseason, the two-time Big Ten Quarterback of the Year's status was uncertain. Meyer admitted as much following the Buckeyes' national championship celebration in January, when Miller made reference in a speech to Ohio State attempting to repeat in 2015.

"That's what he said," Meyer said when asked about Miller's comments. "I don't know. We've been talking all along. It's a unique situation, which we'll cover that later."

While Meyer insisted throughout the process that it was his expectation that Miller would return to Ohio State, his health made it nearly impossible to speak in definites regarding the situation. Still not yet fully recovered from the torn labrum in his throwing shoulder, leaving the Buckeyes could have proven to be a monumental risk, as Miles alluded to.

But Miller will still face plenty of uncertainty moving forward at Ohio State as well, especially as he prepares to take part in an unprecedented quarterback competition with Cardale Jones and J.T. Barrett. That's why it certainly would have made sense for the Huber Heights, Ohio, native to spend his senior season somewhere else, avoiding the Buckeyes' loaded quarterback depth chart in the process.

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As Miller and Meyer now each seem determined to deny that Miller ever considered doing so, we'll never know for certain whether LSU—or any other school—ever truly had a shot at landing the services of the dual-threat quarterback. Miles' comments, however, leave plenty of reason to believe that there was merit to the speculation, while also hinting that Miller's uncertain health played the largest role in him choosing to stay in Columbus.

Ultimately, though, all of the Miller-related rumors this offseason were for naught as, barring any medical setbacks, he'll be suiting up for the Scarlet and Gray this fall. Now the only uncertainty in his situation is whether or not he'll be Ohio State's starting quarterback, and if not, will he be willing to play a new position?

And while the earlier whispers that followed Miller never amounted to anything, Miles' comments show just why they existed in the first place.

Maybe had he recovered quicker, there would have been a different outcome. But as it played out, the Buckeyes now have three quality quarterbacks to choose from, while Miles is left wondering whether he has even one.

Ben Axelrod is Bleacher Report's Big Ten lead writer. You can follow him on Twitter @BenAxelrod. Unless noted otherwise, all quotes were obtained firsthand. All statistics courtesy of cfbstats.com. Recruiting rankings courtesy of 247Sports.