Penn State offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich was a key factor in bringing 2020 four-star quarterback Jack Miller III to Columbus, Ohio when he was serving as the Buckeyes’ quarterbacks coach and passing game coordinator in 2019.
Miller had offers from basically every major Power Five program in the nation, but with after a visit to Columbus in June of 2018, he committed to the Buckeyes the next month. And Yurcich made a couple of visit to Miller himself in Arizona, accompanied by Ohio State head coach Ryan Day on the second, and he helped secure Miller’s journey to the Buckeyes.
However, Yurcich left for Texas in 2020, becoming the Longhorns’ offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach, and Miller found himself competing with other top-ranked recruits in Columbus.
With current starter CJ Stroud firmly entrenched as the starter and five-star recruit Quinn Ewers enrolling early, Miller officially entered the transfer portal Sunday.
Ohio State QB Jack Miller III will enter the Transfer Portal pic.twitter.com/i0dI6ROMiu
— NCAAF Nation (@NCAAFNation247) November 28, 2021
While Penn State’s quarterback room is uncertain upon the conclusion of this season, with incumbent Sean Clifford unlikely to return for a sixth season, and backup quarterbacks Ta’Quan Roberson and Christian Veilleux still largely unproven, the 2022 starter is still unknown.
However, even while Yurcich recruited Miller out of high school, their connection isn’t likely to mean much now. With five-star quarterback commit Drew Allar joining the aforementioned names for Penn State, even if Miller were to consider the Nittany Lions, he’d join a crowded, albeit unproven, quarterbacks room.
Yet, with Clifford battling through injuries all season, having a quarterback like Miller on the roster would have been a boon.
Miller, a 6-foot-3, 215-pound quarterback from Chaparral High School in Scottsdale, Arizona, hasn’t seen much action for Ohio State, but he’d be a stellar pickup for any quarterbacks room looking for a high-upside boost.
