Ohio State Football: 5 Burning Questions for Buckeyes' 2015 Spring Practice
How will the quarterback situation shake out? What will the offense look like without Tom Herman at the helm? Who's primed to break out?
Even though Ohio State is a popular pick to be college football's preseason No. 1, there are still plenty of questions for head coach Urban Meyer's team as it begins its quest to repeat as national champion.
Answers for those questions will begin to emerge Tuesday when the Buckeyes officially kick off spring practice. Camp will culminate April 18 at the spring game in Ohio Stadium, where the players will make their final impressions on the coaching staff before summer workouts.
Between now and then, however, there's plenty to sort out.
How Will Ohio State Sort out Its Loaded Quarterback Quandry?
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College football's most anticipated position battle is set to kick off next week as Urban Meyer and the Buckeyes begin the process of identifying their top quarterback.
Will they go with Braxton Miller, the fifth-year senior who won back-to-back Big Ten MVP trophies before a shoulder injury ended his 2014 season before it started?
How about J.T. Barrett, who had the most prolific season of any quarterback in Ohio State history before an ankle injury against Michigan cut his year short?
Then there's Cardale Jones, the 6'5", 250-pound bulldozer who guided the Buckeyes past Wisconsin, Alabama and Oregon on their way to a national title.
Ohio State has three great options at quarterback, but the biggest unknown is the availability of each candidate this spring. Miller is at the point in his rehab when he can—finally—throw a football again, but he isn't close to operating at full steam. Barrett's ankle recovery is going well, and Meyer expects him to participate in seven-on-seven drills this spring. But that doesn't compare to the value of taking part in Ohio State's full system.
That gives Jones a major head start in the race for the quarterback spot. But will he be able to create a lead too big for Miller or Barrett to overcome when they're both healthy by fall camp?
Who Will Fill the Void at Wide Receiver?
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Down the stretch of the 2014 season, Ezekiel Elliott was Ohio State's most valuable player. He averaged 232 rushing yards and 9.2 yards per carry (complemented by eight touchdowns) in the Buckeyes' final three games.
But Ohio State's improbable run through the College Football Playoff wouldn't have happened without the play of senior wide receivers Devin Smith and Evan Spencer.
Smith was the Buckeyes' blazing deep threat who caught seven passes for an average of 38.4 yards during Ohio State's postseason run—four of which went for touchdowns. His ability to stretch the field and beat a defense vertically kept the opponent's safeties from creeping into the box to support the run.
Spencer, in addition to his invaluable leadership, came up big for the Buckeyes in other areas of the box score. Against Alabama in the Sugar Bowl, he threw a perfectly placed pass off a reverse to Michael Thomas, which swung the momentum Ohio State's way moments before halftime. He also made the key block on Elliott's game-clinching 85-yard touchdown run late in the fourth quarter.
Wide receivers coach Zach Smith knows the Buckeyes have big holes to fill.
"That's a lot of production that just walked out the door and is gonna be playing on Sundays," Zach Smith said, via Bill Landis of The Plain Dealer. "So now I gotta replace that production with young guys who haven't stepped into that role, who need to step into that role."
James Clark, Terry McLaurin and Parris Campbell are three wideouts who were brought to Ohio State for their game-breaking speed. Noah Brown, who played sparingly in 2014, has the frame to step in as Ohio State's top perimeter blocker.
Whether any of those players will be able to replicate the contributions of Smith and Spencer will be a key storyline to watch this spring.
How Will the Offense Evolve After Tom Herman's Departure?
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When Ohio State hired Urban Meyer in November 2011, one of his top priorities was to assemble the "best coaching staff in the country," according to Mark Schlabach of ESPN.com.
That was a process that pulled Tom Herman away from Iowa State to become the Buckeyes' offensive coordinator—a move that worked out as the team shattered offensive and individual records during his three-year tenure in Columbus.
"Tom Herman has one of the bright young minds in college football," Meyer said when he hired Herman in 2011, via Doug Lesmerises of The Plain Dealer. "His philosophies are very similar to those of my own."
That success inevitably pulled Herman away from Ohio State—he's now the head coach at Houston—and Meyer pegged former Nebraska offensive coordinator Tim Beck as his replacement.
Will the Buckeyes offense change with Beck at the helm?
That's a question that will be answered throughout the course of spring and fall practice. If one thing is certain, though, it's that Beck is a big fan of the offensive identity Herman was able to establish.
"Somebody asked me what was it like watching the championship game or the game against Alabama, what did you notice?" Beck said, according to Bill Landis of The Plain Dealer. "I noticed how tough Ohio State was. Just physically, mentally tough."
That shouldn't change in 2015.
Who's Ready to Lead?
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One of the key components to Urban Meyer's success over the years has been his ability to identify leaders for his teams to rally around.
At Florida, Tim Tebow became one of the most natural and well-rounded leaders in college football history. The talented signal-caller won the Heisman Trophy in 2007 and won two national titles with the Gators.
In 2012, the Buckeyes rode the inspiration created by John Simon all the way through an undefeated regular season. And last year, players such as Michael Bennett, Jeff Heuerman, Evan Spencer and Curtis Grant served as Meyer's leaders on the field, and they were vital to Ohio State's success.
“How do you get teamwork from a group of people? How do you get them to be selfless and put team before I?" Meyer asked when speaking to a group of high school coaches in January, according to Steve Helwagen of 247Sports. "You need commitment from that group. That group of people has to trust their leader."
Linebacker Joshua Perry, who led the team with 124 tackles in 2014, is one guy who appears to be taking the reins. As the Buckeyes gear up for a title defense, Perry is eager to reinforce the unbreakable mentality Meyer demands at Ohio State, according to Bleacher Report's Ben Axelrod.
"The Grind is everything our program's about," Perry said. "It's the friction of the program, it's breaking people down, pulverizing and making people. Shaping and sharpening. In the weight room we have iron—iron sharpens iron. It's everything we're about, it encompasses what our culture's supposed to be."
Who will emerge into a leadership role alongside Perry this spring? Taylor Decker, Joey Bosa, Vonn Bell and Ezekiel Elliott are prime candidates.
And, of course, there's that trio of quarterbacks who know how to win.
Who's Primed for a Breakout?
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It's become an annual tradition for players to emerge from the bottom of Ohio State's depth chart to become a key cog for the team.
Last year, that hidden gem was Darron Lee, who locked up a starting spot in the Buckeyes' linebacker unit and then went on to become college football's best-kept secret.
In 2015, a number of players have that same opportunity. While the Buckeyes are set to return 35 players from last year's two-deep rotation, the team still needs to fill a lot of holes.
In the defensive backfield, the Buckeyes need to settle on a cornerback to start opposite Eli Apple while also identifying their nickelback. Redshirt freshman cornerbacks Damon Webb and Marshon Lattimore are two guys who could break into big roles in 2015.
In the front seven, Ohio State needs to identify starters at middle linebacker and weak-side defensive end—two positions that were unsettled during the '14 season. Raekwon McMillan, the former 5-star standout who shared time with Curtis Grant a season ago, has the potential to be Ohio State's next great linebacker. Jalyn Holmes is a pass-rushing specialist who played sparingly as a freshman last year, but he has the tools to be the counterpunch the Buckeyes need opposite Joey Bosa.
After factoring in the need for receivers to step up, there aren't as many opportunities on the offensive side of the ball. The Buckeyes return four of their five offensive linemen, Nick Vannett at tight end and Ezekiel Elliott at running back.
But that doesn't mean some young bucks won't emerge.
All recruiting rankings and information via 247Sports.
David Regimbal is the lead Ohio State football writer for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter at @davidreg412.
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