Ohio State Football: Urban Meyer's 5 Biggest Concerns Post-Spring Practice

COLUMBUS, Ohio — After Ohio State held its annual spring game in front of a national record crowd of 99,391 fans on Saturday, Urban Meyer had a surprising assessment of his team's spring session.

"That was not a good team out there," Meyer said. "We did not improve as a team."

That may seem strange for a team that's not just the defending national champion, but one that will bring back a combined 14 starters on offense and defense from a season ago. With so many experienced players returning, the fourth-year Buckeyes head coach opted to rest many of his veterans throughout the spring, in favor of getting quality reps for his less-established players.

The result was not necessarily unexpected for Meyer, but one that left him troubled nonetheless.

"How do we get better as a team after we get them out here for a couple of weeks?" Meyer asked rhetorically. "This is a critical offseason for us. This is really critical."

Ohio State possesses talent aplenty and will likely enter the season as the nation's No. 1 ranked team, but that doesn't mean the Buckeyes aren't without their issues. Not the least of which is who will play quarterback in Columbus, as Meyer embarks on an offseason unlike any other in college football.

Who Will Play Quarterback for the Buckeyes?

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Braxton Miller (left), Cardale Jones (center) and J.T. Barrett.

It's the most talked about question in all of college football, and one that remains without an answer heading into the summer: Who will play quarterback at Ohio State?

Coming off of his national title run, Cardale Jones spent the spring as the Buckeyes' No. 1 signal-caller, but received more competition than expected from J.T. Barrett, who is ahead of schedule in his recovery from a fractured ankle. Braxton Miller's own recovery from the torn labrum in his throwing shoulder remains the biggest X-factor of all in Meyer's quarterback conundrum, which he has already formulated a plan for solving.

"I'll come up with some kind of system throughout training camp that we're going to chart everything that everyone does," Meyer said. "We've kind of done it, but not to the degree that we're going to do it this year. Because you have to be right on now. This can't be, 'Well, I'm going with him because it's my gut feeling.' Those gut feelings—it's got to be statistical analysis and data, backed up on who is going to play quarterback."

Right now, Jones would have to be considered the front-runner by default, having played most recently and being the only one of the three qualified quarterbacks not to be coming off of a serious injury. Barrett, however, remains right in the thick of the situation, and Meyer's preference for statistical analysis could ultimately benefit the reigning Big Ten Quarterback of the Year.

As for Miller, expect for more graduate transfer rumors to pop up in the coming weeks, as time will soon force him to make a decision on his future. There remains a chance he could ultimately reclaim his starting spot at Ohio State as well, although Meyer's timetable of choosing a starter by the midway point of fall camp doesn't seem to bode well for the former two-time Big Ten MVP.

"There's going to be a lot of people interested," Meyer said. "I know [the media], but the families and the player, much more. I want to be able to look those people in the eye and say this is where we're at and not be a shocker when it happens."

The Offensive Line's Chemistry

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Meyer's decision to rest players this spring who have already accumulated 2,000 or more competitive reps in their college careers particularly hit the Ohio State offensive line, where Taylor Decker, Pat Elflein and Jacoby Boren each qualified. Meyer went as far to say that it was hard to read much into the Buckeyes' practices without those three in the lineup, stating, "If you want to have a bad practice, have a bad offensive line."

The Buckeyes will ultimately return four starters to the unit this fall, but their head coach admitted that taking this spring off could ultimately come to the first-team offensive line's detriment in the long term.

“You’re losing a bit of chemistry in the unit," Meyer said. "You lose that, because you’re sticking some guys in there that aren’t quite ready yet."

With so many experienced players in the unit, it shouldn't take long for the Buckeyes' front five to regain the chemistry that made it so strong a season ago. But Meyer admitted that it's something he'll be keeping an eye on, as he's well aware of its importance to his team.

"You hear stories about the 'cohesive offensive line.' When you hear that story, that's absolutely correct," Meyer said. "We were a great example the last three years."

If all goes according to plan, Meyer will be extending that streak to four years in 2015.

Who Will Start Opposite Joey Bosa?

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Despite losing two starters from last season, Ohio State's defensive line figures to again be a strong point, anchored by a pair for potential first-round picks in Joey Bosa and Adolphus Washington. And while the departure of Michael Bennett may leave a big hole at defensive tackle, it's the starting spot open opposite of Bosa that could make the biggest impact for the Buckeyes in 2015.

While the platoon of Steve Miller and Rashad Frazier was steady, it was far from spectacular and left room for a dynamic that could be found on this year's Ohio State defensive line. Redshirt sophomore Tyquan Lewis left spring football pencilled in as the starter opposite Bosa according to Meyer, but Jalyn Holmes and Sam Hubbard have also worked their ways into the rotation.

"It's good to have confidence from him, but it's not come easy. You really have to work for it," Hubbard said of Meyer's praise after the spring game. "I've got a long way to go before I contribute."

It didn't look that way in the spring game, with Hubbard tallying two sacks, two pass breakups and a fumble recovery—although sacks in a spring game are a relative stat. Nevertheless, the 6'5", 260-pound Hubbard showed flashes of being the player that the Buckeyes coaching staff raved about a season ago, as he spent time as a tight end and linebacker before ultimately taking a redshirt.

The Cincinnati native's wait, however, now appears to be over.

"It's only been a few months at defensive end," Hubbard said. "And to be in the position I'm in, I'm really thankful."

Who Will Be the Buckeyes' Deep Threat?

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Corey Smith makes a play in Ohio State's spring game.

With Devin Smith headed to the NFL, one of the biggest holes on the Ohio State roster comes at wide receiver, where the Buckeyes are looking to replace one of the best deep threats in the nation. And while Jalin Marshall spent the spring shifting from H-back to wide receiver in an attempt to fill that void, another option emerged in last weekend's spring game.

Corey Smith hasn't made much noise in his college career to this point, but appeared to be Jones' favorite downfield weapon as last weekend's exhibition unfolded. The fifth-year senior from Akron, Ohio, tallied six catches for 174 yards and two touchdowns, including three receptions of more than 30 yards.

In order to replace the other Smith (no relation), Corey will have to carry that type of consistency into the summer as he attempts to end his college career on a positive note. Especially if it's Jones who's in the lineup, the Buckeyes will need a player who can stretch the field like Devin Smith did for the past four years, and Corey could be the man for the job.

Who Will Be the Next Darron Lee?

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Emerging as not just a surprise contributor, but a star by the end of the season, Darron Lee became a key piece of the Ohio State defense by the end of last season's national title run. And while the Buckeyes' starting linebackers appear to be set in stone, another one is already emerging as a potential cog on the Ohio State defense.

An early enrollee, Nick Conner should be getting ready for his high school prom, but instead opted to spend the spring practicing with the Buckeyes. His progress was apparent in Saturday's spring game, as he tallied seven tackles, including one for a loss, and an interception.

"He was good," Meyer said of the Dublin, Ohio, native. "We had high expectations for him, though."

In all likelihood, the majority of Conner's playing time will come on special teams in 2015, although he could serve as one of Ohio State's top reserve linebackers. Nevertheless, last Saturday was a promising start for his college career, and could lead to him one day breaking out like Lee did last season.

"[I] hope he doesn't redshirt and gets involved in the kicking game," Meyer said. "He had a very good, had a good day today. He's a tough guy who plays hard. Good qualities to have."

Ben Axelrod is Bleacher Report's Big Ten Lead Writer. You can follow him on Twitter @BenAxelrod. Unless noted otherwise, all quotes were obtained firsthand. All statistics courtesy of cfbstats.com. Recruiting rankings courtesy of 247Sports.