Ohio State Football: Experience for Underclassmen Will Pay off in Future

COLUMBUS, Ohio — His words may not have done it, but Urban Meyer's facial expression said enough.

Told that 13 of his 24 combined starters are currently classified as freshmen or sophomores, the Ohio State head coach looked down at the podium in front of him, briefly allowing himself to take his eye off the present in order to focus on the future.

"You said 13 of the 24?" Meyer responded, seeking clarification. "Wow."

It is indeed accurate, making the Buckeyes the youngest team in the Big Ten in terms of starters. Nevertheless, Ohio State still finds itself in the hunt for an appearance in the first ever College Football Playoff—a sign of just how bright the Buckeyes' future may be.

Because regardless of how the rest of the 2014 campaign shakes out for Ohio State, there should be no shortage of talent returning to Columbus for the following season.

Assuming that everybody on the Buckeyes roster maintains their eligibility, Ohio State is slated to return 15 combined starters (eight on offense, seven on defense) in 2015 in addition to current key defensive subs Raekwon McMillan and Armani Reeves.

That list includes four starting offensive linemen, the Buckeyes' current leading rusher and receiver, All-American defensive end candidate Joey Bosa and eight of OSU's top 10 tacklers.

Oh, and there's that pesky quarterback position, which remains the largest question mark for the Buckeyes in their immediate future.

Whether Braxton Miller returns from a season-ending shoulder injury for a fifth year as planned or redshirt freshman J.T. Barrett reclaims his current role as Ohio State's starting quarterback, the Buckeyes appear to be in good shape when it comes to next season's signal-caller.

Either Ohio State will be starting a two-time Big Ten MVP at quarterback in Miller or the player who's currently on pace to shatter his school single-season record for total yardage.

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The mere presence of either Miller or Barrett alone should make the Buckeyes national title contenders—again—a year from now, and it won't hurt that no shortage of skill players will be returning to Columbus as well.

For at least one more season, the Buckeyes will bring back running backs Ezekiel Elliott (571 total yards, three touchdowns) and Curtis Samuel (6.0 yards per carry, two touchdowns), as well as wide receivers Michael Thomas (17 receptions, 322 yards, five touchdowns) and Dontre Wilson (14 receptions, 221 yards and one touchdown).

Add in promising but unproven players such as wide receiver Jalin Marshall and tight end Marcus Baugh, and it's not hard to see why Meyer is so excited about the direction that his offense is already heading in.

"I'd like to have really fast players that create big plays," Meyer said. "We're kind of developing that right now."

Defensively, Ohio State also appears to be heading in the right direction, with Bosa (3.5 sacks, seven tackles for a loss) wreaking havoc in opponents' backfields and McMillan (15 tackles, two sacks) coming into his own while seeing significant playing time at middle linebacker.

The Buckeyes currently start a trio of underclassmen in the secondary with sophomore safeties Tyvis Powell and Vonn Bell playing behind freshman cornerback Eli Apple.

Fellow freshmen Gareon Conley and Damon Webb should help make up for the void that will be left by senior cornerback Doran Grant, and of the 17 current commits in Ohio State's 2015 recruiting class, five are defensive backs.

The Buckeyes could also use a boost from 5-star 2015 linebacker Justin Hilliard and Sam Hubbard, who appears to be heading toward a redshirt season in 2014.

"If it was his decision, he'd be playing. He's working hard enough to play," Meyer said of Hubbard, who has bounced between playing tight end, linebacker and defensive end thus far in his young college career. "It's just pulling the trigger and putting him in that game. He certainly could help us. A guy like that, you don't want him to [only] play a handful of snaps."

That's not to say that even with its influx of young talent, replacing current seniors such as Grant, defensive tackle Michael Bennett, tight end Jeff Heuerman, wide receivers Devin Smith and Evan Spencer, and right tackle Darryl Baldwin will be easy.

But given the constant turnover in college football on a year-to-year basis, the attrition Ohio State seems prepared to face should be minimal, which could set up for a steady run of success in Columbus in the coming years.

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In fact, the last time Meyer could recall coaching a team as young as his current one came at Florida in 2007, which preceded the Gators' 2008 national title run and a 12-0 start to 2009.

While Meyer's '07 Florida squad started eight combined freshmen and sophomores, by this point in their season, they had already lost two games, robbing them of the national title experience that these Buckeyes are currently receiving.

Although that's where Meyer's focus remains, Ohio State's success is clearly set up to extend beyond the current season.

On top of aiding the Buckeyes in a potential playoff run, OSU's youngsters are gaining valuable experience, which should pay dividends in 2015—and perhaps beyond.

"We've gotten them a ton game reps," Meyer said of his underclassmen. "You're seeing them grow up a little bit."

How much they grow up by the start of next season remains to be seen, but it's not hard to see why Meyer was nearly left speechless on Monday by the mere mention of the Buckeyes' youth.

"I knew we were young, but I hadn't looked at that number before," he said. "That's a good sign for the future here."

Ben Axelrod is Bleacher Report's Ohio State Lead Writer. You can follow him on Twitter @BenAxelrod. Unless noted otherwise, all quotes obtained firsthand. All recruiting information courtesy of 247Sports.