Ohio State Football: Projecting Buckeyes' Post-Spring 2-Deep Depth Chart

From top to bottom, Ohio State's roster may boast more talent than any team in the country.

The Buckeyes are absolutely loaded after four recruiting cycles with head coach Urban Meyer at the helm, boasting three championship-caliber quarterbacks and first-round NFL draft prospects on both sides of the ball.

It's not just raw talent, either. The Buckeyes' national championship-winning team in 2014 is returning 15 starters for the team's title defense this season.

But with key players such as Devin Smith, Michael Bennett and Doran Grant moving on to the NFL, Meyer spent much of spring camp looking for young players to step up.

Who made the jump and earned a spot in Ohio State's two-deep rotation coming out of spring?

Offense 

Position	Starter	Backup
Quarterback	Cardale Jones *	J.T. Barrett * / Braxton Miller *
Running Back	Ezekiel Elliott *	Bri'onte Dunn
H-Back	Jalin Marshall *	Curtis Samuel
Wide Receiver	Michael Thomas *	Noah Brown
Wide Receiver	Corey Smith	Parris Campbell
Tight End	Nick Vannett	Marcus Baugh
Left Tackle	Taylor Decker *	Jamarco Jones
Left Guard	Billy Price *	Marcelys Jones
Center	Jacoby Boren *	Pat Elflein
Right Guard	Pat Elflein *	Evan Lisle
Right Tackle	Chase Farris	Jamarco Jones

Ohio State's depth chart can't be brought up without first mentioning the all-encompassing quarterback battle.

But the three-horse race between Cardale Jones, J.T. Barrett and Braxton Miller got off to an uneven start as the two injured signal-callers work their way back from the surgeries that ended their 2014 seasons. That left Jones as the only healthy option through spring camp, giving him an inside track on landing the starting spot this fall.

Whoever wins the quarterback job will be working with a revamped group of wide receivers.

The departures of Smith and Evan Spencer left the Buckeyes with a big void on the perimeter, but the return of players such as Michael Thomas and Jalin Marshall will provide some familiarity.

A few wideouts had a breakout spring.

Noah Brown was a guy Meyer consistently raved about, and he should factor into the Buckeyes offense in a big way this fall. Corey Smith capped a solid offseason with the spring game's best performance, hauling in six catches for 174 yards, with touchdowns of 58 and 37 yards.

The H-back position will be one to watch in the fall. Dontre Wilson's lingering foot injury prevented him from suiting up this spring, which opened the door for Curtis Samuel to get his feet wet on the perimeter. According to The Lantern's Tim Moody, it was a role he thrived in, and he was so good that Meyer proclaimed he would see significant action this fall.

Marshall moved around quite a bit this spring, but his most natural fit in this offense is in the slot, so Wilson will need to fight for his spot come fall.

The offensive line is in great shape with four of five starters returning. Left Tackle Taylor Decker anchors what could end up being the country's best O-line, but Meyer is most concerned about his depth up front.

"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."

As long as the first unit stays healthy, though, it'll pave the way for running back Ezekiel Elliott in the backfield.

The rising junior sat out of spring as he recovered from minor wrist surgery, but he showed what he was capable of in the last three games of the 2014 season, running for 696 yards and eight touchdowns during Ohio State's surprising run through the postseason.

Defense

Position	Starter	Backup
Strong-Side Defensive End	Joey Bosa *	Sam Hubbard
Nose Tackle	Tommy Schutt	Donovan Munger
Defensive Tackle	Adolphus Washington *	Joel Hale
Weak-Side Defensive End	Tyquan Lewis	Jalyn Holmes
Will Linebacker	Joshua Perry *	Dante Booker
Mike (Middle) Linebacker	Raekwon McMillan	Camren Williams
Sam Linebacker	Darron lee *	Chris Worley
Cornerback	Eli Apple *	Damon Webb
Free Safety	Vonn Bell *	Cam Burrows
Strong Safety	Tyvis Powell *	Erick Smith
Cornerback	Gareon Conley	Marshon Lattimore

Arguably Ohio State's stiffest challenge this offseason is finding a replacement for Michael Bennett, the disruptive defensive tackle who secured the middle of the Buckeyes' D-line for the last two years.

His departure allowed Adolphus Washington to slide over to the the 3-technique, his natural position, while Tommy Schutt stepped into the nose tackle role.

Joey Bosa returns to terrorize opposing offensive lines this season, but one of the biggest storylines of the spring was the emergence of Tyquan Lewis at weak-side defensive end.

At linebacker, Raekwon McMillan—dubbed "The Chosen One" by his teammates—is ready to take over at middle linebacker full-time. He'll join Darron Lee and Joshua Perry in what should be one of the strongest linebacker units in the country.

The secondary returns three of its four starters, but the lone vacancy is a big one with the departure of Grant, the senior cornerback who guarded every team's best receiver last season.

The battle for that spot was fierce, but TheOzone.net's Tony Gerdeman reports that by the end of spring, redshirt sophomore Gareon Conley gained the edge over Damon Webb.

Conley is coming off a disappointing season—he was exposed by Connor Cook and Michigan State—but cornerbacks coach Kerry Coombs is challenging his young defensive back.

"When he trots out there Sept. 7 (against Virginia Tech), he's gotta know they’re coming to get you," Coombs said, according to Eric Seger of Eleven Warriors. "There’s no safety net. We’re walking the rope without a net and we’ve gotta go play.”

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