Troy Smith Sees Greatness In Ohio State Quarterback Braxton Miller

The sky is the limit for Miller

Since first stepping onto the field in a game against the Akron Zips in the 2011 season, sophomore quarterback Braxton Miller has drawn many comparisons in his style of play. 

It's a common thing college football fans do. Terrelle Pryor was Vince Young, Carlos Hyde is/was Eddie George. When Miller took the reins at quarterback, he instantly was the next Troy Smith. 

Out of many comparisons, I think this one in particular is spot on. Both quarterbacks aren't the tallest in the game (Smith is 6'0" while Braxton stands at 6'3"), but the athletic ability surpasses any type of weakness. Whether it's making plays with their feet or dancing around would-be tacklers to buy time to throw, Troy and Braxton have a lot in common.

Now, Troy Smith himself is calling out the comparison. Only thing is, he's taking it one step even further: 

“I see a lot of myself in him, all of myself,” Smith said. “I solely believe he has a chance to be 10 times better than I was. He’s a lot faster. He’s a much better athlete.

“I’m extremely excited about his future. I want to see him take off.”

Smith said he is impressed with how Miller handles himself off the field, as well, something he learned more about when he said the two quarterbacks met for the first time recently. Smith said Miller and other players today have increased media coverage and social media outlets such as Twitter and Facebook, which put standouts such as Miller under more of a microscope than Smith was under during his OSU career.

To not only be compared to Troy Smith by Smith himself, but to also be told that he can be ten times better than what Smith was in college is a pretty damn good compliment. Smith, as you know, won a Heisman trophy in 2006 while on the way to the biggest stage in college football. The Buckeyes hadn't been to the championship game since 2002, when Smith was a freshman (he later red-shirted). The ending wasn't as sweet as anyone wanted it to be, but Troy had led his team to the promised land. 

Now, Braxton Miller has the same chance. Only a sophomore, Miller has the next 3 years to fine-tune his throwing ability and footwork. In his freshman year, Miller passed for 997 yards and 11 touchdowns and ran for 695 yards and seven scores. He made plays when the offense was completely anemic. 

"After seeing what Miller was able to do as a true freshman at Ohio State, then meeting the 6-foot-3, 190-pound soon-to-be-sophomore, Smith sees the sky as the limit for Miller — if not better.

“He has a glass cylinder over his head. All he has to do is explode through,” said Smith at Classic Park in Eastlake on Saturday, where he signed autographs as part of the Lake County Captains’ celebration of Cleveland Sports History Night."

Smith said Miller is “doing everything above and beyond” as far as doing and saying the right things as one of the faces of Ohio State’s football program.

He also offered his services to Miller.

“I have not gotten a chance to really give him the tutelage I would like to give him,” Smith said. “He’s the quarterback of the future. He’s the person who will give us a chance to win.”