Ohio State Football: Week 1 Spring Practice Stock Report

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio State took the field for its first pair of practices in this year's spring session last week, and unsurprisingly there was no lack of intrigue surrounding the defending national champion.

Between some of college football's biggest stars, a three-time national champion head coach and 14 returning starters from the first ever College Football Playoff winner, there may not be a team more capable of churning out consistent headlines this offseason than the Buckeyes.

Oh, and there's that quarterback controversy everybody seems to be talking about.

That was what took center stage in Ohio State's first two practices of the spring last week, as for the first time since last summer, Braxton Miller, Cardale Jones and J.T. Barrett all found themselves in uniform for the Buckeyes.

All three are at varying points in their respective recoveries and have different availabilities for the spring, but the first week of practice did give us a preview of what we can expect in college football's most-talked-about quarterback competition.

QB Conundrum

If you haven't heard by now, head coach Urban Meyer has one of the most unique quarterback controversies in the history of college football on the horizon, with three qualified candidates with three very distinct resumes.

A quick rundown for those who may have missed out: Miller was the two-time Big Ten MVP heading into 2014 before a torn labrum in his throwing shoulder ended his senior season before it started. Barrett stepped up to lead the Buckeyes to the cusp of the playoffs, but a broken ankle cut his season short in the regular-season finale.

This opened the door for Jones to lead Ohio State to three consecutive postseason wins, including the national championship.

All three are back this spring, and for now, all three are expected to be back in the fall as well.

Yet despite the hype surrounding it, Jones insists nothing has made this spring any different from previous ones.

"It’s always been a competition to us. Ever since I stepped on campus, when Kenny [Guiton] was here, it’s always been a competition," Jones said. "[The media], it’s the first time you guys get to see all three of us get a chance to play, but it’s always been a competition."

Coming off the momentum of a national title run, Jones is the favorite to start for the Buckeyes in their season opener on Sept. 7, and it also doesn't hurt that he's currently the healthiest of the three signal-callers.

With redshirt freshman Stephen Collier as the only other quarterback at full strength right now, Jones has taken the majority of Ohio State's first-team reps thus far—something he hasn't been able to say about any other spring practice in his college career.

"Cardale is getting more reps than he's ever gotten,” Meyer said following the first spring practice of the year. "He's still almost a rookie—an older rookie that hasn't had a lot of reps."

As for Barrett, the redshirt sophomore appears to be ahead of schedule in his recovery, dropping back and throwing passes, although his mobility is still limited. The reigning College Football Performance Awards National Freshman of the Year, Barrett isn't putting a timetable for when he'll be back at full strength but anticipates he'll back back to full-go by the summer.

Jay LaPrete/Associated Press

"I can't rush it. I'm not going to rush it," Barrett said. "I broke my leg, so I'm trying to get back as healthy as I can be so I can play the way I want to and be as healthy as I want to." 

As for Miller, he's the furthest behind of the three, as he's still unable to throw a football while continuing to recover from his injury. His refusal to talk to the media on Thursday left the impression that he still could be keeping his options open for a potential offseason transfer, but Barrett did his best to stop the speculation.

"I'm not Braxton, but being that I do talk to him like every day, I think we'd both be shocked if he was to leave," Barrett said. "I don't know. I think it's really ridiculous, honestly, but I don't know."

Regardless of how it shakes out, Meyer knows he has an unprecedented situation on his hands. Finding a quality quarterback won't be the hard part for the fourth-year Ohio State head coach—it's the benching of two others that he knows will cause stress.

"How's it going to play out? I don't know," Meyer said. "I've never been in this situation."

Freshmen Phenoms

Throughout their run to the national title, the 2014 Buckeyes received help from several redshirt freshmen, including Barrett, Darron Lee, Eli Apple, Jalin Marshall and Billy Price.

If the first week of spring practice is any indication, 2015 may follow the same script.

When asking the veteran players which younger teammates stood out in the first week of practice, a couple of second-year players consistently came up.

The first was wide receiver Johnnie Dixon, who actually saw game action last year before tendinitis in his knee brought an end to his freshman season. He is now back at full strength for the spring after receiving a medical redshirt.

Senior Joshua Perry was the first to bring up Dixon when asked about players on the other side of the ball who had caught his eye, before adding fellow redshirt freshmen Parris Campbell and Terry McLaurin to the mix.

Jones also mentioned Dixon when asked how the Buckeyes plan on replacing Devin Smith, who was the country's best deep-threat wide receiver a season ago.

Jay LaPrete/Associated Press/Associated Press

"So far we’re just running around in shorts, but guys like Johnnie Dixon and Parris Campbell and Jalin Marshall, Corey Smith—four guys right there have that deep-ball threat," Jones said. "It’s just all about who’s giving us the best chance to replace Devin."

On the defensive side of the ball, the name that's been brought up the most is that of redshirt freshman Sam Hubbard, who arrived at Ohio State as a linebacker, moved to tight end and now finds himself on the defensive line.

At 6'5" and 244 pounds, the Cincinnati native has great size for his new position and apparently has been putting it to good use.

"He's got speed off the edge...a motor that doesn't stop," former Buckeyes right tackle Darryl Baldwin said of Hubbard following his pro day on Friday. "He's just got really the whole package."

Race for Right Tackle

Speaking of Baldwin, he's just one of four starters from last year's team whom Ohio State will attempt to replace on offense from last season, and the only one on the offensive line. 

Outside of quarterback, the Buckeyes' race at right tackle might be the most intriguing position battle on the roster, as it features an elder statesman and a rising second-year player.

Although he's flipped between the offensive and defensive lines throughout his career, Chase Farris has consistently been mentioned by Meyer as one of the players who's added depth to a formerly depleted offensive line. This could finally be the year when he's used as a starter, as the senior from Elyria, Ohio was with Ohio State's first team at right tackle last Tuesday.

“He had an amazing offseason," senior left tackle Taylor Decker said of Farris. "I’ve always loved the way he works. I’m a big fan of his. He’s one of my friends, so I’m really excited to see him get a shot at that spot. Because if he wins it, it will definitely be deserving."

But in order to remain Ohio State's starting right tackle, Farris will have to hold off perhaps the better long-term solution for Meyer in sophomore Jamarco Jones.

A former 4-star prospect, Jones served as the Buckeyes' backup right tackle a season ago but was never asked to play significant snaps. At 6'4" and 306 pounds, the Chicago native already has good size for his age and position, and may simply be the more talented of Meyer's two current options.

“He’ll show you flashes and you’ll be like, ‘Wow, this kid could be a really great player,'" Decker said of Jones. "Consistency is a big thing for him."

If Jones can find that consistency this spring, the right tackle battle will only heat up in Columbus this fall. For now, Farris remains the favorite, but that only counts for so much one week into spring practice.

Ben Axelrod is Bleacher Report's Big Ten Lead Writer. You can follow him on Twitter @BenAxelrod. Unless noted otherwise, all quotes were obtained firsthand. All statistics courtesy of cfbstats.com. Recruiting rankings courtesy of 247Sports.