Ohio State Football 2012: 5 Players Under the Spotlight in Spring Practice

Ohio State kicks off their spring practice on March 28, as they prepare for the spring game that will take place on April 21. Every time these practices are set to take place, we should always be looking for certain things—players who need to step up, or things for the team to do better with which they struggled last season.

The Buckeyes return a total of 19 starters, but if the past has shown us anything, it's that depth is the key to a successful season. That's why it's important for players to take the spring practices very seriously and do what they can to move up that depth chart.

Here are five players who you should keep an eye on this spring.

WR Devin Smith

Devin Smith was a 4-star recruit in the 2011 class, but didn't exactly live up to the hype last season as a true freshman. Although he did make great plays and caught four touchdown passes, he only caught 14 balls on the year.

This season those numbers should improve greatly, considering he has a year under his belt and DeVier Posey is no longer around. Smith has big-play ability, and is a threat to take it the distance every time he touches the football. His 21-yards-per-catch average last season showed a sample size of what he's capable of.

Look for the 6'3" wide receiver to have a great spring and come up big in the regular season as well.

LB Etienne Sabino

I think we can all agree that Sabino is a great talent at the linebacker position, and an extremely hard hitter. But securing the tackle every time is a lot better than laying out the ball carrier once in a while.

I get that it was his first year as a starter last season and he's excited, but he has to have more discipline than what he showed last season. He's a very athletic player, but he looked lost quite a bit on that field last season and missed more than a handful of tackles.

He's entering his senior season and will be counted on the defensive side of the ball to make plays. Hopefully he'll go for more of the sure tackles instead of the highlight play.

QB Braxton Miller

It's really not fair to judge Braxton Miller's performance last season. He was thrown into the fire as a true freshman, wasn't in the right system and the majority of the key offensive weapons were suspended for a good portion of the year. Even with that said, he did limit his mistakes and threw for 13 touchdowns.

Miller is now going to be in Urban Meyer's spread offense, which best suites his skill set. He's a dual-threat quarterback, who should thrive under Meyer like so many players have in the past.

The question now is, how long will it take him to get a hang of the new playbook?

DE Noah Spence

Maybe this is the player I'm most excited about, but defensive ends like Spence don't grow on trees. He's a 5-star prospect in this year's class for a reason. He isn't just a defensive end, he's an athlete who just so happens to play that position. He is so quick off the snap and is in the opponent's backfield in the blink of an eye.

He simply makes plays on the defensive side of the ball and can even bat down passes with his long wingspan.

Ohio State is deep on defense with 10 starters returning, but don't be surprised if Spence sees a lot of minutes this year and contributes in a big way.

WR Corey Brown

I've talked about Corey Brown time and time again, as the kid has potential out of this world. He's a quick receiver and has big-play ability. His 54-yard touchdown against Michigan last season showed just how talented he is, but he has to become more consistent as a receiver and stop dropping the football.

Brown, along with Smith, has the talent to become one of the better young receiver tandems in college football. They just have to improve on last year's efforts and make sure to hold onto the football when it hits them on the hands, of course.