Ohio State Football: Position-by-Position Fall Practice Preview

Fall camp is on the horizon as the Ohio State Buckeyes prepare to chase their first Big Ten Championship since 2009 and first national championship since the 2003 Fiesta Bowl.

Urban Meyer's Buckeyes haven't lost a game since the 2012 Gator Bowl and bring nine starters from the Big Ten's highest-scoring offense.

The defense is going through a massive reconstruction, replacing six of the seven starters in the front seven. But a strong group of sophomores has potential to salvage a defense which has struggled in the past two seasons and bring it back to the standard of the past decade.

The team is full of storylines across almost all positions as camp is about to open.

Here is a breakdown of each position heading into fall camp.

Quarterback

Braxton Miller finished fifth in the Heisman Trophy voting after directing the nation's No. 10 rushing offense and top-scoring offense in the Big Ten a year ago.

He's only going to get better after he spent time working with well-known quarterback coach George Whitfield on many different techniques, including chaos mechanics, or what happens when a QB is forced to improvise in passing situations.

The biggest concern with Miller is his durability, which was tested last season numerous times.

But backup Kenny Guiton proved more than capable of coming in and being solid when needed.

Running Back

Jordan Hall is back for one more year as he hopes to add even more depth to a strong group of running backs led by Carlos Hyde, who fell just short of 1,000 yards in 10 games but scored 16 touchdowns.

Hyde and Hall are quite a diverse combo of backs which will get most of the carries.

Backups Rod Smith and Bri'Onte Dunn will get some chances as well if injuries become an issue.

Freshman Dontre Wilson could be an X-factor on offense with his game-breaking speed and vision, something that the rest of the running backs don't have.

UPDATE: The Columbus Dispatch's Tim May reported on Monday that RB Carlos Hyde is no longer on the team.

Wide Receiver

Ohio State's passing game finished No. 105 in yards per game in 2012, but the Buckeyes found a pair of receivers to step up and lead the way in Philly Brown and Devin Smith.

Brown emerged as Miller's go-to receiver and was his top target, and Smith was the big-play man time and time again.

Depth is a concern as Evan Spencer and Michael Thomas will need to step forward as the third and fourth receivers in the offense. Either one or both will need to provide some help to take pressure off of Brown and Smith.

Freshmen Jalin Marshall, Corey Smith and James Clark all have big-play ability and could find their way onto the field very soon.

Tight End

Ohio State is full of a young group of tight ends, led by Jeff Heuerman and Nick Vannett, and each made some decent plays a season ago.

One of those two will need to be more consistent to give the Buckeyes a threat at the position.

Freshman Marcus Baugh was brought in to provide more depth, but his path to the field hit a speed bump after he was arrested for underage consumption. He may be in Meyer's doghouse to start his career, and it could be awhile before he gets out.

Offensive Line

What a difference one year makes with the perception of the Ohio State offensive.

One year after being considered a huge weakness of the Buckeyes, the front five has become a strength and could be one of the better lines in the country.

Four starters return to the line—Jack Mewhort, Andrew Norwell, Corey Linsley and Marcus Hall. These four seniors all bring a good amount of talent to the table and have good chemistry.

Sophomore Taylor Decker is expected to replace Reid Fragel at right tackle. Other than him and Chase Farris, there isn't a lot of sure depth behind the starters.

Defensive Line

All eyes will be on who's going to be starting up front this year because OSU has to replace all four starters from last year's defensive line.

Among the expected starters is junior Michael Bennett, who filled in impressively in relief of John Simon for the Buckeyes' 26-21 win over Michigan. Sophomores Noah Spence and Adolphus Washington are expected to anchor the defensive end positions after having solid freshman seasons.

Competing for another starting job will be Joel Hale and Tommy Schutt, among others.

OSU signed six freshmen on the defensive line, led by defensive end Joey Bosa and defensive tackle Billy Price.

The potential depth at the position is tremendous, and it should play out very well on the practice field.

Linebacker

Ryan Shazier is one of the top linebackers in the Big Ten, but the Buckeyes really don't have much proven talent around him.

Shazier is the only returning starter on the front seven, with Curtis Grant, Josh Perry and Camren Williams fighting it out for the other two starting spots in the base 4-3.

OSU may use more nickel or dime packages, but the defense has to find two capable linebackers to give Shazier support. Two of those three youngsters or freshmen Trey Johnson, Mike Mitchell and Chris Worley will have to fill that void.

Defensive Back

Bradley Roby may be the best draft-eligible cornerback in the country and is the true definition of a shutdown corner with his athleticism and ball skills.

The battle to start opposite will be intriguing as well, with junior Doran Grant likely being the favorite to win that job. Whoever earns that job will be tested heavily because most teams will try to avoid throwing near Roby.

OSU returns both starting safeties from last year in C.J. Barnett and Christian Bryant. The duo was up and down through most of last season but seemed to even up by the end of the season.

Freshman Vonn Bell is going to provide instant depth and competition for playing time at the safety spot.

Bell is one of many freshmen who should inject some depth into the secondary.

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