Ohio State Football: Grading Buckeyes Position Groups' 2015 Spring
Urban Meyer didn't mince words when he was asked to evaluate his Ohio State football team after wrapping up spring practice last Saturday.
"We did not improve as a team," Meyer said flatly, according to John Porentas of The Ozone. "That was not a good team out there. As a team, that was a lot worse than you saw in January."
The Buckeyes, of course, are building up for a title defense after running over Alabama and Oregon to win the first-ever College Football Playoff. They return a number of key starters such as Ezekiel Elliott, Joey Bosa and a trio of championship-caliber quarterbacks, but Meyer was hoping to see more from his squad this spring.
It wasn't all bad. Meyer noted improvement at the player level and consistently praised certain guys throughout spring.
"Urban gives an "Eh." to the Buckeyes team as a whole coming out of spring. Says there was individual improvement, not team
— Ryan Donnelly (@RDonnellyBG) April 18, 2015"
If the team didn't improve as a whole, how did each position group grade out?
Quarterback
1 of 7
It was supposed to be the start of college football's most intriguing position battle, but with Braxton Miller and J.T. Barrett still recovering from injuries that ended their 2014 seasons, it was Cardale Jones' show this spring.
And despite a shaky spring game performance in which he completed just 19 of 42 passes for 304 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions, Jones had a solid offseason working as the Buckeyes' top quarterback.
"For the spring, I'd give him a very good spring," Meyer said of Jones, according to Bleacher Report's Ben Axelrod. "You didn't necessarily see it today."
We didn't see Miller or Barrett, either, which gave Jones a head start in the highly anticipated position battle.
Miller is still as fast as ever—something he showed off during halftime of the spring game—but his surgically repaired shoulder is preventing him from throwing passes further than 20 yards. Barrett was able to participate in noncontact drills, but his mending ankle won't be whole until the summer.
With two-thirds of Ohio State's three-headed monster on the mend, the quarterback position can't be truly evaluated until the fall.
Grade: Incomplete
Running Back
2 of 7
Ohio State has one of the best running backs in the country in Ezekiel Elliott, but the junior ball-carrier sat out of spring camp as he recovered from minor wrist surgery.
That gave Urban Meyer an opportunity to test his depth. After moving Curtis Samuel—Elliott's primary backup last year—to wide receiver, the Buckeyes were down to a pair of redshirt juniors in Bri'onte Dunn and Warren Ball.
After a rough start to his collegiate career, Dunn surged this spring and earned high praise from his coach, according to Todd Porter of The (Canton, Ohio) Repository.
"Bri'onte Dunn has a little momentum going on in his world right now," Meyer said of Dunn, according to Porter. "He floated around here for a couple of years and did nothing, and I mean nothing. We're getting good progress reports in the classroom. ... He has momentum."
That momentum didn't carry through to the spring game, as the Buckeyes went pass-happy in their play-calling. Dunn carried the ball just three times for nine yards, but that wasn't a fair indicator for the solid spring he put together.
Ohio State is set to add another great running back in the fall in Mike Weber—a highly rated 4-star standout from the 2015 recruiting class—joins the fold in Columbus.
Grade: B
Wide Receiver/Tight End
3 of 7
Replacing deep threat Devin Smith and do-everything Evan Spencer has been a stiff challenge for Ohio State—and it might prove to be impossible—but Urban Meyer has to be pleased with his skill players after an inspiring spring camp.
The wide receiver corps received a huge boost with the inclusion of Curtis Samuel, whom Meyer moved from running back to the perimeter in order to get him more involved in the offense. Noah Brown had a huge spring, and he's proving to be a versatile weapon that the Buckeyes will move around from the slot to the outside come fall.
On top of that, Ohio State may have showcased its new long-ball receiver during the spring game. Corey Smith was consistently getting behind a defense that knew the go route was coming, and he still recorded six catches for 174 yards and two touchdowns. If he can bring half that production to the field on Saturdays this fall, the Buckeyes offense will be much more lethal.
On the inside, Ohio State watched Marcus Baugh emerge as a viable option at tight end. Meyer already had Nick Vannett at the position, who played regularly alongside Jeff Heuerman over the last two seasons, but Baugh adds a more electric playmaking ability to the position.
"He's came along really well," Vannett said of Baugh, according to Eric Seger of Eleven Warriors. "Especially from the beginning of the spring 'til now he's developed."
When you throw in proven entities such as Michael Thomas, Jalin Marshall and Dontre Wilson, the Buckeyes will have plenty of options on the perimeter this fall.
Grade: A
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Offensive Line
4 of 7
Ohio State returns four of five starters along the offensive line this season—solidifying a unit that came into its own as the season wore on a year ago.
Meyer is very happy with his starting five, but the depth behind that unit remains a big concern after spring.
"The area (of worry) is the offensive line. That's the problem," Meyer said, according to Ryan Cooper of The Lantern. "And once again, not the starters, because I feel good (about them). ... I'm very alarmed by the second group of offensive linemen right now."
There's a ton of potential in the second unit. Starting left tackle Taylor Decker spoke highly of reserve guard Marcelys Jones, according to Seger, saying, "I think Marcelys Jones is probably the best athlete in our room. He's an unbelievable athlete." He also had good things to say about backup tackle Jamarco Jones, who "has the potential" and is "incredibly talented," via Seger.
But that talent hasn't bonded into a cohesive unit yet. Meyer gave the group that opportunity by resting a lot of the upperclassmen, but it didn't develop the way he had hoped this spring.
Grade: C
Defensive Line
5 of 7
Much like the offensive line, Urban Meyer has concerns about Ohio State's depth at defensive line. And similarly, there isn't much to worry about with the starting unit.
With Joey Bosa's return, the Buckeyes boast one of the most disruptive pass-rushers in the country. Adolphus Washington is ready to slide back into the 3-technique at defensive tackle, a position he's more naturally suited for, after the departure of Michael Bennett. Tommy Schutt is also primed for a big season as Ohio State's lane-stuffing nose tackle.
Tyquan Lewis' ascension at weak-side defensive end was one of the key developments of the spring. The Buckeyes were hoping for someone to step up after the departures of Steve Miller and Rashad Frazier. Bosa would be much more difficult to defend if Ohio State could offer a counterpunch on the other side of the line.
And with Lewis, that's exactly what it'll have.
"He's out there killing it, going hard every day," Bosa said, according to Tim Moody of The Lantern. "We're all so happily surprised to see him do that, and I'm excited to have another end doing that."
And while the depth isn't where the team wants it right now, it's starting to develop.
"We've gotta get better, we've gotta improve and challenge the younger players," defensive line coach Larry Johnson said, via Tim Shoemaker of Eleven Warriors. "We're doing that right now, and the young players are starting to step up."
Grade: B-
Linebacker
6 of 7
It wasn't that long ago when linebacker was Urban Meyer's biggest concern.
In November of 2013, as Ohio State's defense was beginning to buckle, Meyer lamented the lack of depth and talent, according to Kyle Rowland of Eleven Warriors.
"The linebacker position is still my biggest concern on our team," Meyer said at the time. "The depth is a major concern. When you think of the great linebackers here; arguably the last decade as good a linebackers as anywhere in the country played at Ohio State."
Three recruiting cycles later, though, it feels like Meyer has resolved that issue.
The emergence of Darron Lee a season ago was one of the biggest keys in Ohio State's defensive turnaround. Then a redshirt freshman, Lee came out of nowhere to lock down Ryan Shazier's old spot in the defense before going on to become college football's best-kept secret.
Joshua Perry, the team's leading tackler in 2014, is back for his senior year. Raekwon McMillan, the former 5-star standout whom his teammates have nicknamed "The Chosen One," is ready to step up at middle linebacker.
But the depth is there, too.
That was on display in the spring game when guys such as Nick Conner—a true freshman who enrolled early—put on a show. Conner was the defensive star of the spring game, recording a game-high seven tackles, one tackle for loss, an interception and a forced fumble.
"He's good," Meyer said of Conner after his breakout spring game performance, according to Seger. "He's really good."
Grade: A-
Secondary
7 of 7
Ohio State only had one opening in its secondary, but it was a big one with the departure of senior cornerback—and team captain—Doran Grant.
That position battle featured two young players in Gareon Conley and Damon Webb, both of whom were highly rated 4-star standouts in high school. They were fighting to join Eli Apple, Vonn Bell and Tyvis Powell in a secondary that should be one of the best in the country this fall.
It was Conley who seized control of the opening, and he did so by finding his confidence after a disappointing season last year.
"Last year, I'd go out there thinking about messing up," Conley said, according to Bill Rabinowitz of The Columbus Dispatch. "Now it's just going out there being confident that you won't mess up. Not thinking about messing up, that's what helps you be a good corner."
Webb will give the Buckeyes depth at corner—a commodity they also have at safety with the emergence of Erick Smith. The ball-hawking defensive back out of Glenville High School in Cleveland had an outstanding spring game, snagging two interceptions from the overwhelmed Stephen Collier.
Grade: A
All recruiting rankings and information via 247Sports.
David Regimbal is the Ohio State football Lead Writer for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter @davidreg412.
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