Three things to know about Harry Miller, the Ohio State football player who will attend the State of the Union

Harry Miller will be at President Joe Biden's State of the Union address Tuesday night.

After retiring from football in 2022, the former Ohio State football offensive lineman has become a national spokesperson for mental health, and was selected to sit in First Lady Jill Biden's viewing box for the speech.

Here's what you need to know about Miller.

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Harry Miller was a five-star commit in Ohio State's 2019 class

Miller joined Ohio State as one of the team's top commitments int he 2019 class.

Coming out of Buford High School in Buford, Georgia, Miller as the second-best center in the 2019 class behind Georgia commit Clay Webb according to the 247Sports composite rankings. One of eight five-star offensive linemen in the class, Miller was the No. 30 player and the No. 6 prospect out of Georgia in 2019.

Miller was the highest-rated offensive lineman in Ohio State's 2019 class which included Enokk Vimahi, Ryan Jacoby and Dawand Jones. Miller was one of three five-star players, along with defensive end Zach Harrison and wide receiver Garrett Wilson.

Harry Miller medically retired from football in 2022

After starting at left guard for Ohio State in 2020 and playing sparingly in 2021 with an injury, Miller medically retired from football in 2022.

In a Twitter announcement March 10, Miller said he contemplated suicide before last fall.

“Prior to the season last year, I told Coach Day of my intention to kill myself,” Miller wrote. “He immediately had me in touch with Dr. Candice (Williams) and Dr. (Josh) Norman, and I received the support I needed. After a few weeks, I tried my luck at football once again, with scars on my wrists and throat.

“…There was a dead man on the television set, but nobody knew it.

”At the time, I would rather be dead than a coward. I'd rather be nothing at all, than have to explain everything that was wrong. I was planning on being reduced to my initials on a back of a helmet."

Miller is a two-time OSU Scholar-Athlete, Academic All-Big Ten and Big Ten Distinguished Scholar who carries a 4.0 grade point average as an engineering major. However, he said he would not have shared his story if not for his status as an Ohio State football player.

Miller also highlighted the support of Ohio State coach Ryan Day, who's personal mission is centered around promoting mental health after his father died by suicide as a child.

"I am grateful he is letting me find a new way to help others in the program," Miller wrote.

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"I hope athletic departments around the country do the same. If not for him and the staff, my words would not be a reflection. They would be evidence in a post-mortem."

Harry Miller has become an advocate for mental health

Shortly after his retirement announcement, Miller became a national spokesperson for mental health.

“People have called me brave,” Miller said on NBC's "Today" show March 21, “but to me, it just felt like not dying. It felt like being honest. Maybe bravery is just being honest when it would be easier not to, and if that's bravery, then so be it. I’ve just been really grateful to have received the help I have and to have learned some things I can share with others.”

Numerous athletes have followed in Miller's footsteps, releasing mental health statements with the hashtags "Don't make it weird" and "Dum Spiro Spero," which translates to "While I breathe, I hope," in Latin.

Miller has used his social media platform to promote mental health, including work with the mental healthcare company SonderMind.

"We were talking recently about bravery, about mental health and about bravery in the context of mental health," Miller said. "And I wish bravery wasn't a word that was required when we talk about mental health. I wish getting help was as trivial as getting a cough drop. And I think one day, it will be."

On Aug. 25, Miller reflected on it being a year since he disclosed his suicidal thoughts to Day, and how much he's grown since.

"Now a year from that day, on a day that I did not think I would see, I am still here," Miller tweeted. "It was a year of hurt but gratitude, suffering yet appreciation. Love is the lesson. Pain is the teacher. Sometimes (most of the times), hope is as small as holding on for 5 minutes when you think you only have the strength for 4, and you really only have the strength for 3. And a year is just 5 minutes several times over.

"Cheers for just a few more minutes. For all of us."

How to seek help

If you or someone you know is experiencing a behavioral health crisis or suicidal thoughts, you can reach Ohio's 24/7 Crisis Text Line by texting 4HOPE to 741741, or call the Franklin County Suicide Prevention Hotline at 614-221-5445; the Teen Suicide Prevention Hotline at 614-294-3300; or the national Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255/TALK (1-888-628-9454 for Spanish speakers).

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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Three things to know about former Ohio State football lineman Harry Miller