Ohio State’s quiet offseason was interrupted on Thursday with the news that superstar defensive end Joey Bosa and three key pass-catchers—Jalin Marshall, Dontre Wilson and Corey Smith—have been suspended for the Buckeyes’ season-opening road game against Virginia Tech. The news, as first reported by Tim May of the Columbus Dispatch, adds a new twist to the highly anticipated showdown between the Buckeyes and the Hokies. The absence of Ohio State’s best pass-rusher and defender carries huge significance, but losing three of the team’s most dangerous perimeter playmakers is a huge blow as well. And that blow has put Braxton Miller in the spotlight. The two-time Big Ten MVP made recent headlines as well when he announced his transition to wide receiver from quarterback—the position he played and starred in during his first three years in Columbus. But after missing last season following a pair of surgeries to his throwing shoulder and a lengthy recovery process, Miller announced his position change in an interview with Pete Thamel of Sports Illustrated. “It’s a long process to get back totally to throwing and throwing every day,” Miller told Thamel. “This is the smarter thing for right now. God blessed me with a lot of talent and different opportunities. I’m going to have fun with that and still score a lot of touchdowns and help the team out and be dominant at that.” He may have to contribute sooner—and in a larger capacity—than many envisioned at the outset. In his interview with Thamel, Miller said that he will start the season playing H-Back, the position made famous by the electrifying Percy Harvin at Florida. The Buckeyes were already loaded at that position with three capable playmakers on the depth chart, but two of those players—Marshall and Wilson—won’t make the trip to Blacksburg. …
Continue Reading: Ohio State Football: Week 1 Suspensions Put Braxton Miller in Spotlight at WR
