Ohio State football landed star wide receiver Chris Henry Jr. as a high school freshman in 2023. Head coach Ryan Day and his staff pulled off a near-similar feat Monday. The Buckeyes even win over this elite underclassman talent over Miami, Oregon, and local option USC.
Austin Miller from Bellflower High in Southern California shut his recruitment down early. The 6-foot-5, 200-pound class of 2029 talent chose the Buckeyes, confirming his decision with Hayes Fawcett of On3/Rivals.
Miller immediately turned heads with his mix of impressive growing frame and advanced wideout skills for a non-upperclassman. He grabbed 35 receptions for 609 yards and scored eight touchdowns on the passing end. But Bellflower allowed him to handle carries too, racking up 883 yards there and tallying 13 more scores.
Day adds someone with defensive acumen, too. Miller racked up 36 tackles with eight coming behind the line of scrimmage in playing a downhill safety role. He delivered four sacks too for the Buccaneers off safety blitzes.
He's already considered the most coveted 2029 talent in the Golden State, despite holding no star ranking yet. Miller likely will spark conversations about holding a five-star ranking down the road. He becomes the first freshman wideout with West Coast ties to choose OSU since Henry, who starred for Mater Dei in Santa Ana toward the end of his high school run.
Miller rises as the first Buckeyes commit for the 2029 class, meaning he now spearheads this group moving forward. He's also Ohio State's second verbal commit in eight days as the Buckeyes landed four-star cornerback Deontay Malone.
