Florida landed Ohio State transfer quarterback Jack Miller III on Tuesday afternoon. Miller III announced his decision on Twitter.

Gators fans should not mistake Miller III for Joe Burrow, another backup Ohio State transfer quarterback who wore number 9 for an SEC school.

But Miller III, a former 4-star prospect and Elite 11 quarterback camp invitee, gives Billy Napier a talented player with multiple intangible and physical tools Napier values as he begins his program build in Gainesville.

There are 3 things in particular that stand out about the addition of Miller III to Florida’s roster.

First, he brings a reputation as a relentless worker bee and he really wants to be a Gator.

Miller joins a program he has followed since he was a child, having grown up the son of  Jack Miller Jr., a huge Florida fan.

When Miller III was in 5th grade, he met Tim Tebow, who told him he’d need to outwork every player in his home state of Arizona if he wanted to play college football at the highest level and be the best quarterback he could be. Miller III, who had posters of Tebow on his walls, took the message to heart, and wrote all the advice from Tebow on a piece of cardboard which he hung on his bedroom walls. From there, Miller III gained a reputation as the hardest-working kid on every team, from Pop Warner through high school.

Miller III has kept in touch with Tebow, who connected with the Miller family through a church pastor, as he has matured, going from starry-eyed 11-year-old to coveted 4-star recruit who committed to Urban Meyer and Ohio State.

His dad, a Florida native, has to be thrilled to see his son return to his home state and play for the program they cheered for as Miller III grew up. But they also have strong connections to Billy Napier.

Napier recruited Miller III when he was offensive coordinator at Arizona State, trying his hardest to pluck a home state star from the clutches of Meyer’s Ohio State behemoth. Napier failed, but not without building relationships. Miller III grew to trust Napier, making it an easy connection when Miller III entered the transfer portal after Ohio State’s loss to Michigan.

The second thing Miller III brings is high intellect and the ability to read defenses without compromising athleticism.

Injuries derailed his chances of winning the starting job at Ohio State, but Miller III has plus arm strength and the ability to extend plays and be a weapon with his legs. Napier likes quarterbacks who are passers first but can beat you with their legs, and Miller III checks those boxes. Miller III was also highly regarded for his ability to read defenses ahead of the curve for his age in high school. Considering the issues Florida starter Emory Jones had with reading defenses, and the growing pains of returning blue-chip prospect Anthony Richardson doing the same, Miller III brings a steadying presence to a quarterback room that features Richardson and two freshmen who have not yet played in Carlos Del Rio-Wilson and Jalen Kitna.

What Miller III does not bring is much college experience. He completed 7-of-14 passes for 101 yards playing in 4 games as a redshirt freshman for the Buckeyes. Those appearances came against Akron, Rutgers, Maryland and Indiana, and all were in mop-up duty. Any college football will essentially be his first college football, though the same could have been said of Burrow when he arrived at LSU.

Finally, Miller III brings needed competition to Florida for Richardson. With Jones in the transfer portal and likely playing his final game for the Gators on Thursday night in the Gasparilla Bowl, Richardson is the anticipated starter in 2021. Many Gators fans felt he should have started the entirety of the past season and, in fairness to that sentiment, Jones’ play did little to make those folks look foolish. But Richardson has his own issues, as his 3-turnover performance against Georgia demonstrated. He’s still learning to read defenses, and forces throws too often, perhaps a matter of confusion with coverages or perhaps just mistakes by a young man who trusts his rocket arm a bit too much. Whatever the reasons for Richardson’s growing pains, the facts are he was miles ahead of Kitna and Del Rio-Wilson in 2021. That wasn’t likely to change in the spring.

Miller III, however, has been in the thick of quarterback competitions at a College Football Playoff caliber program. He won’t flinch in battle with Richardson, and he has the pedigree and tools to push the Gainesville native and Gators fan favorite for the job. That’s vital as Napier seeks to build a program where competition builds not only character, but a championship program.