Ohio State Football Spring Practice Schedule 2012: 5 Pressing Issues

The 2011 college football season may have just ended, but that doesn't mean that the players and coaches go sit on the couch for seven months. No, first it was the recruiting process, and now it's time to begin preparing for spring practices.

These practices are extremely important as it will help the coaches answer questions and help them put together their depth chart for the upcoming season. This is also a chance for the younger players to prove themselves and earn more playing time than they probably would have normally received.

The Buckeyes' first practice takes place on March 28th and the spring game will happen on April 21st.  Here are five things we should be paying attention to when these events take place.

Improved Passing Game

There weren't too many teams that were worse at throwing the football last year than the Ohio State Buckeyes. In fact 127 yards per game through the air was good for 115th in the country. Now it is fair to note that quarterback Braxton Miller was a freshman last year and DeVier Posey was suspended for a majority of the season.

But nobody on the team caught more than 14 passes which is pitiful no matter how you want to look at things. With head coach Urban Meyer bringing in an entirely new offense; it's going to be interesting to see just how Miller is able to improve his game. Hard to win a national championship with a one-dimensional offense.

Defensive Line Pressure

Can anybody besides John Simon and Jonathan Hankins make plays on the defensive line? This was a team that didn't rush the quarterback well as they finished the year with only 23 sacks. Simon led the team with seven sacks and both players were the only ones on the team to have double-digit tackles for loss a season ago.

There's really no excuse for the lack of production from the defensive line because the talent is obviously there. But there is a reason Urban Meyer brought in so many linemen in this year's recruiting class, and we may end up seeing many of them sooner rather than later. 

Can Jordan Hall Step Up?

There isn't a lot of speed on this roster, but Jordan Hall has what it takes to thrive under Meyer's offense this season. He's heading into his senior year and it's about time he finally fulfilled his potential. Dan Herron is no longer on the team, and that opens the door for the senior running back.

Hall hasn't had a season were he's rushed for over 405 yards and he only has nine combined touchdowns in three years. This is Hall's final opportunity to make an impact on this team and he couldn't have asked for a better coach to help guide him to success. 

Hopefully for Buckeye fans, he'll finally be able to reach those expectations he had coming out of high school.

Corey Brown, Become a Playmaker

With all of the suspensions that took place last season, the Buckeyes really lacked playmakers on the offensive side of the ball. There weren't many big plays and the team struggled mightily to score points as they ranked 81st in the country in scoring offense. 

With DeVier Posey heading to the next level, it really opens the door for somebody like Corey Brown. He is a fast wide receiver who totaled 14 receptions last season and had the biggest catch of the year, a 54-yard touchdown reception against Michigan. The more the Buckeyes put the ball in his hands, the better this offense can be.

Watch the junior receiver this spring, he has game-changing ability that will help improve those offensive numbers from a year ago.

Linebacker

The Buckeyes had great success in freshman linebacker Ryan Shazier, but overall linebacker wasn't exactly a strong point for the Ohio State last season. Several freshman from this year's class will have an opportunity to compete for quality playing time this year. The list includes players such as Joshua Perry, Camren Williams, Jamal Marcus and David Perkins.

If I was a betting man, I'd say Williams sees the most playing time out of all of them, but it's going to be very interesting seeing these young players battle it out. This is a unit to keep your eye on during the offseason.

Randy Chambers is a B/R featured columnist that covers college football and the NFL. You can contact him @Randy_Chambers or [e-mail].