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Name: John Miller
Position: Offensive Guard
Year: Junior
Height: 6'2"
Weight: 305
Hometown: Carson, Calif.
High School: Redondo Union High School
2013 Stats: Played in five games for Syracuse last year, though snaps have obviously been tough for offensive line reserves considering how deep and consistent we've been at the position.
2014 Projections: Miller is still listed as a reserve guard, but with some of the injuries this spring, he also got some time at center. If the Rob Trudo switch doesn't work out, Miller could end up slotting himself into that role.
How'd He Get Here: John was well-recognized at Los Angeles Harbor College, named to the 2012 SCFA National Division Central Conference Second Team Offense. Following his JUCO experience, he came out to Syracuse, despite interest from closer-by colleges like Washington State and Oregon.
What'd Recruiting Sites Say: Rivals said three stars and Scout said two stars.
Money Quote: SU strength and conditioning coach Will Hicks was very happy with what he saw from Miller this offseason:
"(John is a) Very, very pleasant surprise. He was a junior college kid we brought in that was under-strengthed, under-conditioned. Now he's in the upper-echelon of lifting for the linemen and his conditioning level. He's put himself in a position to compete."
Links Of Wonder: Miller (and many of the other Syracuse linemen) actually factored into the recent commitment of Cody Conway. He saw there were a lot of upperclassmen at the position and felt that it gave him an opportunity to get early playing time in his career.
Twitterfeed: Nada.
Tweets Of Wonder: Miller was certainly in the mix last year, though we might have been a year early on whether or not he was going to be a major factor:
Orange fans, look for JUCO commit John Miller to fill some big shoes for Justin Pugh given his entry into NFL draft. He'll be in OL mix. -BG
— Orange Fizz (@OrangeFizz) January 4, 2013
What Does Shafer Think Of Him: "To be honest with you, John Miller could kind of be the most improved player this spring right now," said Shafer about a week away from spring practice this year.
Interesting Nugget O'Interest: Chalk that recruiting win up to Dinosaur BBQ, apparently.
Let's Get A Good Look Atcha: Some high school highlights from Miller. While it's been a few years since these were filmed, still some takeaways for us over three years later.