Braxton Miller writes a love letter to Ohio State for the Players Tribune

One of us, one of us, one of us…

Braxton Miller took to The Players Tribune Friday to write “Dear Buckeye Nation,” a love letter to the school and fans that supported him over the past five years. He was a Buckeye, he says, long before he stepped on campus as a freshman quarterback in 2011. He grew up near Dayton, less than an hour from Columbus. He took to Ohio State as a pup, and remembers running around the house for hours after the Bucks topped juggernaut Miami in the 2003 Fiesta Bowl.

If you grew up with the scarlet and gray, Miller’s story may hit close to home.

Long before I ever played a down at Ohio State, I was a Buckeye.¹

I was raised only 40 minutes from The Horseshoe, so the school had a constant presence in my life. There were so many amazing players that had come through — Archie Griffin, Eddie George, Jack Tatum. These were guys I viewed almost as superheroes.

I was only 10 years old when we faced off against the Miami Hurricanes in the Fiesta Bowl for the national championship. It’s all still pretty vivid in my mind. That Miami team was basically an NFL squad — they were stacked at every single position. How were we supposed to beat these guys? I was so nervous, man. I was pacing back and forth in my room … then running to my parents’ room … then back to my room. The entire game, I was like that. I couldn’t sit still.

By the time we finally won in double overtime and held up that crystal football — yeah, it was “we” even then — I must have jogged 10 miles around my house.

The start of Miller’s Ohio State was storybook. He came to the Buckeyes as a five-star recruit and immediately lived up to the hype, winning Big Ten Freshman of the Year in 2011. He went on to win Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year honors in 2012 and 2013, throwing for 2,000-plus yards and running for 1,000-plus more in each year.

He writes that he helped the program on the recruiting trail as much as he did on the field. The 2011 Buckeyes, the Luke Fickell-led bunch sandwiched between the Tressel and Meyer years, limped to a 6-7 record. It was their first non-winning season since 1999 and their worst since 1988. Still, Miller actively sold potential recruits on the Ohio State experience and takes some credit for assembling the talent of the past few years.

That first season, I was named Big Ten Freshman Player of the Year. But what many people don’t know is that I was also named (by me) the conference’s (unofficial) Recruiter of the Year. That’s right: when prized recruits came to Columbus to visit — players who had their choice of attending any college they wanted to, really — I took it upon myself to sell them on joining our program. And when I sold them on the Buckeyes, I did it with both of my hats on: “current player,” of course — but also “lifelong fan.” I sold them on our decorated past (sorry again, Miami), our resilient present, and our promising future — the future of Buckeyes Football that we could be a part of building, together.

And it worked.

Miller missed the entire 2014 season with a shoulder injury. He took a medical redshirt and watched from the sidelines as his teammates charged through the field to win the national championship. His feelings on the subject were as bittersweet as one might expect.

It’s difficult to describe the feelings I had while watching my boys win it all last season.

On one hand, it was so gratifying. We were a dominant football team, and we were able to assert our will against any opponent. Everything I’d envisioned for us, as a program, it finally came true — except for one small part. I wasn’t on the field. That killed me. That part was heartbreaking, honestly. But at the same time, it was still an awesome experience: to get to watch the Buckeyes — my Buckeyes — accomplish something that I had truly helped to build toward.

Despite J.T. Barrett and Cardale Jones taking over at quarterback, Miller says that transferring to another school “never really crossed [his] mind.” He spent the offseason catching passes from Barrett and Jones, and his training culminated in his spin move heard ’round the world against Virginia Tech. To Miller, that move and the buzz that came with it was a symbol of his perseverance.

His next football game will likely be played on an NFL field, but Braxton Miller does not sound like he’s going to forget his time as a Buckeye.

I came here as a young freshman making plays. And yes, looking back, screwing up plays. But through it all, you fans were there for me, giving me support. Man, I loved your cheers. And while I was stuck at home, doing those mundane rehab exercises … I’d always think about how good it would feel, someday, to make The Horseshoe roar again.

It surpassed my expectations.

From the bottom of my heart, I want to thank every Buckeye fan who took the time to watch me play the game that I love. I lived for those moments that we all experienced together, and I’ll always feel a special connection to you.

And that’s because I’m one of you.

O-H!

1. Ed’s note: This reminds me of Henry Hill’s “Ever since I can remember, I always wanted to be a gangster” from Goodfellas. [↩]