COLUMBUS, Ohio — The greatest sports “what ifs” often stem from pivotal moments that forever altered a program’s trajectory. In the latest Buckeye Talk podcast, hosts Stephen Means, Stefan Krajisnik, and Andrew Gillis explored perhaps the most tantalizing hypothetical in recent Ohio State history:
What if Braxton Miller hadn’t injured his shoulder before the 2014 season?
As the podcast team debated Miller’s bracket matchup against J.T. Barrett in their “Greatest Buckeye” competition, the conversation repeatedly returned to the cascading effects of that fateful injury on Ohio State’s quarterback legacy.
So in 2012, sanctions kept him from winning a national title. 2013, he kept himself from winning a national title. 2014, an injury kept him from winning a national title,” Krajisnik outlined, mapping the series of near-misses that defined Miller’s career.
This led to the central hypothetical that still haunts Buckeye fans: “My question to you guys is this. I think Braxton Miller was amongst the favorites to win the Heisman Trophy heading into 2014. What if he doesn’t get hurt?”
The question isn’t merely academic – it completely reshapes modern Ohio State football history. As Krajisnik noted, “If Braxton doesn’t get hurt, J.T. Barrett’s not in a position to do any of the things he did in 2020. Of course, he’s just the backup quarterback.”
Without that injury, there’s no J.T. Barrett breakout season. No Cardale Jones miracle run. The entire quarterback lineage of Ohio State gets rewritten. Would the Buckeyes still have won the inaugural College Football Playoff? Would Miller have captured the Heisman and cemented his place among Ohio State’s greatest players?
What makes Miller’s legacy particularly compelling is what happened after the injury. Rather than transfer or fade away, he reinvented himself as a wide receiver, providing one of the most memorable plays in recent Buckeye history with his spin move against Virginia Tech.
As Gillis observed: “Braxton not only played quarterback, and he was pretty good at it, and he was really cool at it. And like I said, talking to one of my buddies (who is an) Ohio State fan, he was like, Braxton made playing Ohio State quarterback cool. Troy was awesome. But Braxton took it to another level, and I think him sticking around at receiver is going to matter for a lot of people because it would have been very easy for him not to do that.”
This willingness to adapt rather than abandon the program speaks volumes about Miller’s character and his commitment to Ohio State. In today’s transfer portal era, such loyalty seems increasingly rare.
Miller’s story underscores how greatness isn’t simply measured in championships or statistics, but in impact and what could have been. His electric playing style didn’t just win games – it transformed how fans viewed the quarterback position at Ohio State, paving the way for the dynamic athletes who would follow.
