Can Jalin Marshall Replace Devin Smith as Ohio State's Deep Threat?

Replacing the best deep threat in college football isn't easy.

In fact, it may be impossible. 

That challenge is settling in for Ohio State, which has to fill the void left by Devin Smith's departure. The 6'1", 199-pound wideout was the Buckeyes' home run hitter for four straight years, and now, head coach Urban Meyer needs to identify someone who can stretch the field in a similar fashion.

And while the Buckeyes grind their way through spring camp, Jalin Marshall is emerging as an unexpected replacement.

Ohio State wide receivers coach Zach Smith revealed that Marshall—who played the H-back position in 2014—has moved to the outside this spring, running the deeper routes that Devin Smith executed so well.

"Jalin can play outside, and he's going to have a full spring of doing that," Zach Smith said, according to Ari Wasserman of The Plain Dealer. 

Are the Buckeyes moving their rising redshirt sophomore to the perimeter permanently? Zach Smith isn't ready to pull that trigger, but he's experimenting with a number of different possibilities. While Devin Smith's departure hurts, the Buckeyes are loaded with a number of exciting yet unproven options at receiver.

"We are going to get the best six or seven wideouts in the rotation, so where [Marshall] fits in that is really where we best see him fitting," Zach Smith said, via Wasserman. 

That could be in the slot or playing the H-back position that he thrived in a season ago. After Dontre Wilson suffered a broken foot against Michigan State in Week 11, Marshall emerged as a dangerous weapon for the Buckeyes. In the final six games of the season, he caught 24 passes for 342 yards and four touchdowns.

Jay LaPrete/Associated Press

But a new year has brought about a whole new situation for the Buckeyes. Curtis Samuel—Ezekiel Elliott's backup at running back last season—is emerging as a player who needs to be on the field, and the coaching staff has moved him to H-back in an effort to get him playing time. Sophomore Noah Brown is making a similar move, as well, working at a number of different wideout positions after dropping 25 pounds in the offseason. 

And then there are the new guys who haven't had a chance to see the field yet—players who have been identified as possible candidates to replace Devin Smith as the team's deep threat. Zach Smith specifically named four underclassmen at the beginning of spring camp, according to Eric Seger of The Ozone. 

"

At the end of the day, you need guys with speed, and we have a number of them. Johnnie Dixon's a great example, when he comes back. He is an elite guy. James Clark was before his injury, so when he gets healthy and gets confident, he'll be a guy that we look to.

And then Terry McLaurin and Parris Campbell are two guys that can really run. We've got four young guys that haven't done much around here that can flat fly. So it's going to be fun to watch and fun to develop and interesting to see how it plays out.

"

Four weeks into spring practice, though, and it's Marshall who's getting that opportunity.

He has the speed to burn a defense. According to 247Sports, Marshall was running a 4.4 40-yard dash as a high school senior. But does he have the strength to beat press coverage at the line or the body control to track a ball in the air with a defender on his hip?

Those are the traits that allowed Devin Smith to lead the country in yards per reception by a wide margin in 2014, according to cfbstats.com.

If Marshall can't mimic Devin Smith's game, the Buckeyes will have to look elsewhere for their deep threat. And if they can't find a suitable replacement, the offense might not have the quick-strike ability that it had last year.

David Regimbal is the lead Ohio State football writer for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter @davidreg412.