Ohio State Football: 5 Things We Learned About the Buckeyes This Spring (2024)

With spring practice in the books, the Ohio State Buckeyes are officially one step closer to kicking off their title defense against Virginia Tech on September 7.

Fourteen practices and one highly celebrated spring game revealed a number of key developments for the Buckeyes. Meyer's unprecedented quarterback quandary didn't find (or even come close to) resolution, but the hazy forecast began to clear. Playmakers on both sides of the ball are stepping up—ready to fill in for lost starters.

And there's depth. Ohio State hasloads of depth.

Here are five things we learned during the Buckeyes' spring practice.

Ohio State has three championship-caliber quarterbacks on its roster, but only one—Cardale Jones—was healthy enough to participate fully in spring practice. The other two—J.T. Barrett and Braxton Miller—spent most of spring on the recovery trail from injuries that ended their 2014 seasons.

As spring wore on, it became evident that Barrett was further ahead in his rehab than Miller. Barrett (recovering from a broken ankle) was able to participate in non-contact and seven-on-seven drills throughout camp while Miller (on the mend from shoulder surgery) was limited to throwing passes of 30 yards or less.

But neither quarterback was able to suit up and challenge Jones for first-team reps, which gave the 6'5", 250-pound gunslinger a significant edge heading into the summer.

Urban Meyer revealed that he's aiming to name a starter atthe midway point of fall camp, so the recovery process will be key for Barrett and Miller. If one or both aren't 100 percent at the end of summer conditioning, Jones' chances of starting will grow significantly better.

The departure of wide receivers Devin Smith and Evan Spencer, in addition to tight end Jeff Heuerman, left the Buckeyes with legitimate holes to fill this offseason.

All three were a pivotal part of what Ohio State did on offense under Urban Meyer. Smith was Ohio State's blazing deep threat. Spencer was the team's best perimeter blocker andmost valuable player. Heuerman was a key interior blocker and a dangerous threat down the middle of the field.

All three are gone, which sent Meyer looking for players to step up this spring.

A number of players responded.

Second-year wideout Noah Brown had the best spring of any player asthe coaching staff consistently ravedabout his playmaking ability and work ethic. The Buckeyes plugged him into the slot and out wide and he responded in a big way, which helped him secure considerable playing time this fall.

"Noah Brown has probably had as good a spring as I could have wanted," wide receivers coach Zach Smith said, according toTony Gerdeman of The Ozone. "He’s dropped 25 pounds. He’s at a different level than he was in the fall, and so I’m really, really pleased with where he is at.

"He’s looking like a guy that’s going to contribute in the fall."

It wasn't just Brown, though. Curtis Samuel, Ezekiel Elliott's primary backup down the stretch of the 2014 season, was moved to receiver in an effort to get him more playing time. Samuel thrived in the H-Back position, joining Jalin Marshall and Dontre Wilson as dangerous options in the slot.

Backup tight end Marcus Baugh had a breakout spring as well, but he wasn't able to showcase his improvement during the spring game because of a minor illness. That wasn't the case for receiver Corey Smith, though. The senior showed that he's ready to step up as the team's deep threat, hauling in six catches for 174 yards and two touchdowns during the spring game.

Ohio State's roster has been fueled by NFL-level talent since the John Cooper era, but the depth Urban Meyer is building in Columbus should terrify the Big Ten and title contenders nationwide.

That depth was on full display during the spring game.

Take, for instance, true freshman linebacker Nick Conner.

Four short months ago, Conner was a senior atDublin Scioto High School in Dublin, Ohio. He graduated early to jump start his collegiate career, enrolling at Ohio State for winter conditioning and spring camp.

And during the spring game, in front of nearly 100,000 eager fans, Conner was the defensive standout notching a game-high seven tackles, a tackle for loss, an interception and a forced fumble. He was all over the field for the winning Gray team, showcasing a natural instinct that's key to successful linebacker play.

The Buckeyes are so deep at the position, though, that Conner's surge will likely net him some time on special teams.

“He was good,” Meyer said of Conner, according toBleacher Report's Adam Kramer. “Hope he doesn't redshirt and gets involved in the kicking game. He had a very good, had a good day today.”

And that's just a small part of the bigger picture.

Safety Erick Smith showcased elite ball-hawking skills by notching two interceptions during the spring game, but he's buried on the depth chart behind established starters in Tyvis Powell and Vonn Bell. Defensive end Sam Hubbard may wind up as one of the most versatile pass-rushers in the Big Ten this season, but he's only factoring in as a member of the second wave in Ohio State's D-line rotation.

There are players like that across the board who will be suiting up for the Buckeyes this season

It took a while for Ohio State to find its bearings defensively under Urban Meyer.

When the head coach took over in 2012 the Buckeyes rattled off 12 consecutive victories to finish the season undefeated, but the defense was consistently gashed by opposing offenses. After surrendering 49 points and 481 total yards in a narrow three-point win over lowly Indiana, Meyer was not pleased.

"I'm not happy at all with what's going on on defense," Meyer said after that game, according to an Associated Press article (h/tThe Seattle Times)."That includes players, coaches. We can all get better. It's a team effort."

A year later in the Big Ten Championship Game, the Buckeyes were one victory away from punching their ticket to the BCS title game. But their defense collapsed yet again as Michigan State bulldozed its way to a 34-24 victory.

After giving up 40 points and 576 yards to Clemson in a five-point Orange Bowl loss, Meyer knew he needed to make a change. And that change brought former Arkansas defensive coordinator Chris Ash to Columbus to join forces with Luke Fickell.

That proved to be a winning move for the Buckeyes.

The secondary was the team's biggest weakness in 2012 and 2013, but that changed when Ash installed his aggressive 4-3 scheme that featured man-to-man coverage from defensive backs.The Buckeyes made huge stridesthroughout the season, and by the time they hit the postseason, the unit was strong enough to shut downthree Heisman Trophy finalists.

With Ohio State returning seven defensive starters for another year in Ash's system, thesilver bulletsshould be dominant in 2015.

On April 18, nearly 100,000 fans made their way to Ohio Stadium to watch Ohio State play a glorified scrimmage.

Sure, it was one of the nicest days of the year and a stark contrast from the brutal winter Ohioans had just suffered through. The perfect conditions certainly played a role in pulling that many people out of their homes and into the 'Shoe.

But as the stands began to fill to near capacity, it became clear how eager Buckeye Nation is for this team and the upcoming season.

After winning the first-ever College Football Playoff National Championship three months ago, the expectations for 2015 have been definitively set: repeat or bust.

That's something Meyer is keenly aware of as he gears up for another title run, and he wants to prepare his players for the challenge of becoming the hunted, rather than the hunter.

"Your life doesn't change," Meyer said of the mindset his team needs to have, according toStewart Mandel of Fox Sports. "You kind of expect your problems won't be as serious, that everything's OK, we won the national title. But you find out what I found out—you have the same, if not more difficult, problems."

Those problems won't matter to this energized fanbase, however. Thousands of scarlet-clad supporters are expecting Ohio State to dominate every time it steps on the field.

DavidRegimbalis the Ohio State football Lead Writer for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter@davidreg412.