Austin Miller is barely kicking off his high school football journey, but the scary part is he might already be done with the entire recruiting process. After an absolute whirlwind of a weekend visit to Columbus, the elite 2029 wide receiver from Bellflower, California, decided he had seen enough and officially locked in his commitment to the Buckeyes.

Ohio State emerged as the overwhelming favorite pretty much from the exact second they started recruiting him, and this latest trip completely wrapped things up before his sophomore season even gets underway, solely because the coaching staff thinks and believes that they got another Jeremiah Smith on their hand.

“It’s most definitely motivating… Being compared to the greatest WR prospect of all time is high praise,” Austin Miller said. “But as I look at him and watch him play, I definitely see an older, more developed version of myself.”

The coaching staff is entirely on board with that evaluation. There aren’t much difference between them. They both got similar built. Even though he’s just finished his freshman year of high school, Miller’s already 6’5 and 200 pounds.

Reflecting on his time in Columbus, Miller couldn’t hold back his excitement about how the program rolled out the red carpet to secure his pledge.

“The Ohio State visit was a complete success,” Miller said. “Rolled out the red carpet for me, got to tag along on the official visit agenda, ate good food, and sat in a meeting with Coach Ryan Day, Coach Cortez Hankton, and coach Devin Jordan about me for over an hour.”

Even though he is just a rising sophomore, the Buckeyes have been treating him like a top-tier target for months, and seeing the campus up close completely solidified those family feelings.

The star pass-catcher noticed right away that the coaching staff valued him just as much as the older, blue-chip recruits on campus. “They made me a huge priority, just as big or even bigger than all the other recruits in attendance during a packed official visit weekend that had Jamier Brown, Brady Edmunds, and Blake Wong,” Miller noted.

Ryan Day gave him the ultimate vote of confidence during their sit-down. The head honcho straight up told Miller that he believes he is the No. 1 player in the entire country for the 2029 class.The Buckeyes’ staff has been showering the Bellflower standout with heavy praise for a while now, making sure he knew exactly how much they wanted him.

About a month before the big trip, Miller got some incredible feedback from Hankton and Jordan right as the mutual interest was hitting a whole new gear.

“They are showing a ton of interest, and Coach Hankton and Coach Devin said I am a living replica of Jeremiah Smith,” Miller shared.

“They told me they believe I can be the next Ohio State great.”

Before Ohio State completely took over the race and closed the door, several other major programs were heavily in the mix. Oregon was actually Miller’s childhood favorite team, and the Ducks were actively involved alongside local Southern California powerhouses USC and UCLA.

Each of those local schools made an impression on him and his father, Keith (who also serves as the head coach at Bellflower High).

Over at USC, assistant director of player development Mike Williams, a former first-round NFL Draft pick who wore No. 1 for the Trojans, told Miller on a recent visit that he wanted him to take over his old iconic number.

Meanwhile, UCLA head coach Bob Chesney spent hours breaking down film and sharing his vision for the Bruins with the family. But despite all those deep West Coast connections, once Ohio State jumped into the picture and Miller got to experience Columbus in person, he knew exactly where he wanted to be and officially made his pledge.

How good is Miller?

During his freshman year, he put up video game numbers on both sides of the ball. When he played the offense, he caught 35 passes for 609 yards and 8 touchdowns, and rushed for 883 yards and 13 touchdowns. Flip him over to defense, and he was just as terrifying at safety, racking up 36 tackles, 4 sacks, and a defensive touchdown. These are the numbers you usually see from a junior or senior player, not a high school freshman, to say the least. It’s only going to get better for him.

It’s no surprise that college coaches took notice. Before he even began his sophomore year, Miller had already collected 20 major scholarship offers from top programs across the country.

Ohio State was a natural fit. The Buckeyes are easily known as “Receiver U” because of their long history of developing elite wide receivers and sending them to the NFL. His commitment is also a major recruiting win for wide receivers coach Cortez Hankton, as Miller becomes the first receiver to commit under his watch. Miller has even said he hopes to wear Ohio State’s iconic No. 1 jersey, once worn by Buckeye legend Braxton Miller.

Looking ahead, Miller is expected to be the centerpiece of Ohio State’s 2029 recruiting class. Because he committed so early, he can now help recruit other top prospects to join him in Columbus. Buckeye fans will have to wait a few years before seeing him on the field. But landing a talent with his potential makes the wait much easier.