Ohio State Football: 5 Things to Watch in Buckeyes Spring Game

Urban Meyer and Ohio State football are still months away from officially kicking off their title defense, but on Saturday in Ohio Stadium, they'll showcase a bit of what's to come during the Buckeyes' annual spring game.

The product on the field, however, will be very different than what we'll see in the fall. Meyer is holding out a number of veterans in an effort to save their bodies from unnecessary contact, while giving some younger players an opportunity to show off in front of a big crowd.

Even still, there will be plenty of storylines to follow as the action unfolds. 

The Maturation of Cardale Jones

College football's most interesting position battle has been a bit of a one-horse race so far as Cardale Jones has been the only fully healthy quarterback for the Buckeyes this spring. 

While Braxton Miller and J.T. Barrett continue the comeback from their respective injuries, Jones has taken the lion's share of reps during spring camp. And despite his incredible run through last year's postseason, Meyer still views Jones, a sophomore with three career starts, as a young guy with a lot to learn.

"He's still raw, almost a rookie," Meyer said last month, according to Zac Jackson of Fox Sports Ohio. "He's an older rookie, but he became a more functional player as he got all of the reps during the bowl season and playoff run."

He should be even more functional after a full workload this spring, and seeing him operate the offense on Saturday will provide a glimpse at his development. If the coaching staff follows the same logic of spring games past, Jones should get a majority of the top offensive starters on his squad to go against the better defensive unit.

The Emerging Counterpunch to Joey Bosa

Noah Spence's season-long suspension left the Buckeyes defensive line a bit lopsided a season ago. While Steve Miller and Rashad Frazier combined to be a serviceable replacement, they weren't able to give Ohio State the one-two punch it was expecting with Joey Bosa.

That could change this season with the emergence of redshirt sophomore Tyquan Lewis.

The Buckeyes have plenty of promising young candidates at weak-side defensive end with Jalyn Holmes and Sam Hubbard in the fold, but Lewis has really impressed the coaching staff during the offseason.

“Tyquan is having a great spring, really great spring,” defensive line coach Larry Johnson said, according to Tim Moody of The Lantern. "It’s clicked in his mind, the kind of player he has to be. He’s playing much faster than he played last year.

“He’s had a really outstanding spring.”

Darron Cummings/Associated Press

Bosa, Ohio State's first unanimous first-team All-American selection since 2007, is certainly impressed.

“Tyquan is the other starting end and he’s doing an unbelievable job this spring of just killing it; going hard every day," Bosa said, via Dave Biddle of Bucknuts.com. “Speed, he’s physical, he’s just a freak out there.”

Buckeyes fans will be able to get their first real look at Lewis this Saturday.

The New and Improved Noah Brown

Every spring, there seems to a breakout star who comes out of nowhere for Ohio State.

Last season it was Darron Lee, who locked down a starting linebacker spot and went on to be one of college football's most productive players.

This year, the Buckeyes' big surprise is all-purpose back Noah Brown.

The dynamic athlete played sparingly as a true freshman a season ago, but he came into the offseason motivated to change that in 2015. Brown dropped 25 pounds before spring camp opened, and now that he's lighter on his feet at 222 pounds, he's making more plays for an offense that's becoming more lethal by the day.

"Noah Brown's probably [had] about as good a spring as I could have wanted ... He's on a different level than he was in the fall," wide receivers coach Zach Smith said, according to Eric Seger of Eleven Warriors. "He's looking like a guy that's going to contribute heavily in the fall."

The Buckeyes are moving Brown around the wide receiver spots to see where he fits best, so look for him to run a variety of routes this Saturday.

The Heated Cornerback Battle

Ohio State's quarterback race has hogged the spotlight—and for good reason—but there's a heated battle at cornerback that may be even more important to the Buckeyes' success this season.

Meyer has proven that he can win with any of the three signal-callers he has on the roster, but holes in the secondary have been problematic during his tenure in Columbus.

With the departure of senior Doran Grant, Eli Apple has risen as the Buckeyes' top cornerback. But the other spot remains open, and there could be as many as three guys competing for it come fall.

Redshirt sophomore Gareon Conley currently has the edge, but redshirt freshman Damon Webb is closing the gap. Cornerbacks coach Kerry Coombs talked about the position battle on Monday, via Bill Landis of The Plain Dealer:

"

There's a different level of expectation on the part of the player who feels really good that he's gonna be the starter. Damon Webb is nipping at [Conley's] heels and he wants that job, but Gareon is walking out of the building every morning saying, 'I'm gonna be that guy.' It's a different level than, 'I hope I might be that guy.' There's no safety net.

"

It doesn't look like either Conley or Webb will lock the spot up this spring, which opens the door for Marshon Lattimore. The talented redshirt freshman is coming off a surgically repaired hamstring, and the coaching staff loves his potential. 

The Buckeyes certainly have plenty of options, and they're hoping to see if any of them can step up this Saturday.

The New-Look Curtis Samuel

The next Percy Harvin?

That's something Ohio State fans have been looking for since Meyer arrived in Columbus. From Corey Brown to Dontre Wilson and Jalin Marshall, the Buckeyes have tried a number of guys in that role, but no one has replicated the eye-popping numbers that the former Florida great produced under Meyer.

Curtis Samuel, an all-purpose back who was Ezekiel Elliott's primary backup a season ago, is next in line.

Jay LaPrete/Associated Press

But Meyer didn't yank Samuel from the running backs room just because he's looking for the next Harvin. It was a move that was made to get the most talent on the field.

"The days of Curtis Samuel playing 10 plays are over," Meyer explained, according to Ari Wasserman of The Plain Dealer. "It's our job to get him on the field for 40 or 50 plays."

To do that, Samuel will line up all over the field for the Buckeyes this fall. His ability to line up on the perimeter or motion into the backfield will keep opposing defenses guessing, and it's a role he's very comfortable with.

"I played running back and slot in high school, so coming to college, it hasn't been much of a transition for me," Samuel said, via Wasserman. "But it's just going to help me get in space more and help me make more plays for the team."

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