Titans senior Miller chooses Wisconsin
7/4/2012There's a certain allure of being a Wisconsin offensive lineman that was too strong for Matt Miller to pass up.
Miller, an incoming senior at St. John's Jesuit, committed to the two-time defending Big Ten champion Badgers, fueled by visions of joining the lore of accomplished linemen that have come through the program.
The brother of Michigan offensive lineman Jack Miller, Matt chose the Badgers over a final three that included Miami (Fla.) and Michigan State. Boston College, Illinois, Purdue, Kentucky and Cincinnati were in the mix at one point.
"There was just something at Wisconsin, something about Madison, something about their winning tradition and their offensive line program," Miller said. "The combination of those things really felt right for me."
In an era of high-octane, spread offensive attacks, Wisconsin continues to rely on its 300-pounders up front to author a ground game that has lifted the program to a berth in the past two Rose Bowls. The Badgers crowned two All-America offensive linemen in 2011, proving to be unfazed by the graduation of three All-Americans the year before. Cleveland Browns left tackle Joe Thomas, a Wisconsin product, was the No. 3 pick in the 2007 NFL draft.
Miller (6-foot-5, 260 pounds) is a three-star prospect by recruiting Web sites Rivals.com and Scout.com. He will play center or guard in college.
An All-Three Rivers Athletic Conference second-team selection, Miller is St. John's second senior to commit to a Division I program, following tight end Tony Harper (Pittsburgh). A third Titan, quarterback Brogan Roback, is being pursued by several Mid-American Conference schools.
Miller has not received an offer from Michigan, where his brother Jack is a redshirt freshman center. Unless Michigan and Wisconsin meet in a Big Ten title game, a Miller vs. Miller matchup will have to wait until 2015 — Jack's senior season.
"If I was going to go to Michigan I was going to go to Michigan for the right reasons," Matt said. "That's a great school, a great campus, with a heck of a coaching staff. If I would have decided to go to Michigan it wouldn't have been just because of Jack."