Ohio State Football 2012: Breaking Down Spring Practice

The Ohio State Buckeyes may be banned from postseason play, but that doesn't prevent them from having a successful season. Instead, they will begin a new chapter under head coach Urban Meyer and put a horrible 6-7 record behind them.

Meyer has the majority of his team returning, with a total of 19 starters from last season. It's one of the more talented teams in the country, and although they may not be eligible for a bowl game, they will have a say in who is.

The Buckeyes will begin their spring practice on March 28 and prepare to answer the few questions that this team has heading into the regular season.

Here is the Ohio State Buckeyes spring preview.

Schedule

Ohio State begins their spring practice on March 28 and will play their spring game on April 21.

Offensive Depth Chart

Quarterback: Braxton Miller, Kenny Guiton

Running Back: Jordan Hall, Carols Hyde

Wide Receiver: Devin Smith, Verlon Reed

Wide Receiver: Corey Brown, Evan Spencer

Wide Receiver: Chris Fields, Mike Thomas

Tight End: Jake Stoneburner, Jeff Heuerman

Offensive Tackle: Andrew Norwell, Marcus Hall/Taylor Decker

Offensive Guard: Jack Mewhort, Marcus Hall

Center: Brian Bobek, Jacoby Boren

Offensive Guard: Corey Linsley, Antonio Underwood

Offensive Tackle: Reid Fragel, Tommy Brown

Defense and Special Teams Depth Chart

Defensive End: John Simon, Michael Bennett

Defensive Tackle: Jonathan Hankins, Garrett Goebel

Defensive End: Nathan Williams, Steve Miller

Strong Side Linebacker: Etienne Sabino, Connor Crowell

Middle Linebacker: Storm Klein, Curtis Grant

Weak-Side Linebacker: Ryan Shazier, Shad Hagan

Cornerback: Travis Howard, Dominic Clark

Cornerback: Bradley Roby, Doran Grant

Strong Safety: Christian Bryant, Orhian Johnson  

Free Safety: C.J. Barnett, Corey Brown

Kicker: Drew Basil

Punter: Ben Buchanan

Best Position Battle

Ohio State has a lot of depth on the offensive line, so this really isn't an issue, but it will be worth watching to see who steps up and fills a few holes. The Buckeyes lost a few players on the line, including center Mike Brewster and right tackle J.B Shugarts.

It'll be interesting to see if former tight end Reid Fragel will be able to handle a full season at the tackle position. Sophomore Brian Bobek will likely be the favorite to replace Brester, which isn't an easy task, considering he was the cornerstone to this offensive line. Corey Linsley is also capable of playing center, as he was the backup last season, but he may fill in one of the guard positions if needed.

There is talent all over this offensive line; it's just a question of who will end up playing where.

Big Man on Campus

If you saw this 6'2", 270-pound beast coming at you, you'd say he was the big man on campus as well.

That's senior defensive end John Simon, and he's the engine that makes this Buckeye defense go. He finished last season with 53 tackles, 16 tackles for loss, broke up three passes and had seven sacks.

He was the only Buckeye that had at least five sacks last season.

The offensive side of the ball is really lacking playmakers, so it's only right to go with a defensive player. What better way than to pick the best player on that side of the ball?

Big Shoes to Fill

We talked a little about the offensive line earlier. Well, somebody has to fill the huge shoes of left tackle Mike Adams, who'll likely be a first-round pick in this year's NFL draft. When Adams missed five games last season, you noticed his absence.

It's really junior tackle Andrew Norwell's job to lose, as he was the one who filled the role when Adams was suspended last season. He has great size at 6'5", 308 pounds, plays with an aggressive style and has great instincts to protect Millers blind side.

While he may have limited experience, he has the tools to be a solid permanent replacement on the offensive line this season.

Other Questions to Answer

Besides the issues on the offensive line, I think we're all focused on quarterback Braxton Miller's progress.

Last season, he was thrown into the fire as a freshman and was limited with horrible play-calling. Now, he has an offensive genius calling the shots in Urban Meyer and will be used correctly in the spread offense. Just how quickly does he adapt, and just how effective will he be once he gets the hang of things?

Offensively, I'd also like to see running back Jordan Hall play the way we all think he's capable of. Dan Herron is no longer on the roster, which means that Hall will likely become the starter on the team. He's kept a good average over the years, but I'm sure we'd all love to see his full potential and help take pressure off of the young quarterback.