Sting Factor: Joshua Miller flips from Penn State to UGA
When a major program loses a key recruit, Rivals.com takes a look at how big of a blow it is to the respective school, analyzing it from a local and national level. To quantify the “sting” of each decommitment, we assign a score from one to 10, with one being no big deal and 10 being a catastrophic hit.
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THE STORYLINE
When Joshua Miller committed to Penn State a few days before Christmas, the Chester (Va.) Life Christian Academy prospect said he looked through his options and the Nittany Lions were the best fit for him.
Over the next many months, his relationship with position coach Phil Trautwein grew stronger, Miller seemed completely content in his pledge to Penn State and he was recruiting teammates and friends to play with him in Happy Valley.
But that all changed in recent days as Miller backed off his commitment to the Nittany Lions and said that he felt better served on and off the field at Georgia. His flip was a big loss for Penn State, literally, since Miller is a 6-foot-6, 323-pound high three-star prospect, and also because he’s a talented player who could have helped offensive line depth.
Over the years, Georgia has gone north for top commitments, but it has not been the Bulldogs’ regular practice. Miller flipping is another sign that no prospect is safe when an SEC power wants them.
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LOCAL REACTION
“This is a very tough loss for the Nittany Lions as Miller seemed to be one of the more solid commitments for the Nittany Lions in this 2023 class. Well, that was until a recent unofficial visit to Georgia. The rest is history.
“The good news for Penn State fans is that they have a highly ranked class, currently sitting as the No. 6 class in the country. Plus, not only do the Nittany Lions have two of the nation’s best OL currently committed in J’ven Williams and Alex Birchmeier, but they are also in the thick of it for Samson Okunlola, Zechariah Owens and Evan Link. All three are highly ranked recruits.
"At the moment, I’m ranking this as a pretty bad sting, but land one or more of those three targets listed above and that sting number drops significantly.” - Richard Schnyderite, NittanyNation.com
Sting Factor: 8
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NATIONAL REACTION
“More than anything, this is a surprising loss because Miller seemed completely locked in with the Nittany Lions, and I didn’t expect him to back off his pledge for any school. Maybe that opinion was wrong, but even weeks ago at the Rivals Camp in Charlotte it seemed like Miller was going to stick with Penn State.
"SEC powers and national champions can influence top prospects, though, and once Miller visited Georgia it seemed like the Bulldogs were not only in play but they could seriously flip him. These things happen, and while Miller is a talented, tough kid who could have added significant bulk to Penn State’s offensive line room, the Nittany Lions still have a lot of fish in the sea. So, by no means is this de-commitment devastating to Penn State’s class.” - Adam Gorney, Rivals National Recruiting Director
Sting Factor: 6