Ohio State Football: Starters on the Hot Seat in 2016 Spring Practice

Ohio State football is in the midst of a busy offseason as it tries to find replacements for the 16 starters it lost from last year's roster. And while H-back Dontre Wilson, tight end Marcus Baugh and running back Bri'onte Dunn aren't surefire starters, the trio is feeling heat with an opportunity to snatch the No. 1 spot on the depth chart this spring.

The only definitive locks for the first team are the six returning players who started for the Buckeyes against Notre Dame in the Fiesta Bowl.

Quarterback J.T. Barrett is the unquestioned leader of the team, and he'll have returning linemen Pat Elflein and Billy Price anchoring the interior line. The defense also returns a starter at each level with defensive end Tyquan Lewis, linebacker Raekwon McMillan and cornerback Gareon Conley in the fold.

Wilson, Baugh and Dunn have inside tracks to a starting job, but the pressure is on each of them to beat out the competition in their respective position groups. 

Dontre Wilson, H-Back

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The hype surrounding Dontre Wilson when he entered the program in the summer of 2013 was nothing short of staggering. The former 4-star standout was lighting it up in fall camp and seemed destined to become the next Percy Harvin in Urban Meyer's spread offense.

That never materialized, though, as he was used mainly as a decoy in 2013, then battled injuries during the 2014 and 2015 seasons. 

Entering his final year at Ohio State, it's now or never for the electric playmaker. And despite the hurdles he's overcome in his first three years, Wilson is fresh and looking to bounce back in 2016.

"Dontre’s looked good," co-offensive coordinator Ed Warinner said, according to Patrick Murphy of The Ozone. "Dontre didn’t have a lot of production last year, and I just think he’s a guy that in the past has been productive for us."

Wilson's main competition for the starting spot is Curtis Samuel, who is currently rehabbing after undergoing a minor foot surgery in January.

Marcus Baugh, Tight End

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Ohio State doesn't really utilize its tight ends in the passing game.

Despite sending a wave of tight ends to the NFL—Jake Stoneburner, Jeff Heuerman and the soon-to-be-drafted Nick Vannett—the Buckeyes haven't used their interior pass threats down the field. Over the last 10 seasons, Ohio State's starting tight ends have averaged just 16.2 receptions and 204.2 yards per season, according to Ohio State's official site.

Marcus Baugh is hoping to change that.

The Buckeyes' vertical passing attack was nearly nonexistent last season, as they chose to ride the steady legs of Ezekiel Elliott in the running game. But Baugh flashed his potential in the Fiesta Bowl when he gashed Notre Dame with a 27-yard catch down the field that set up Ohio State's second touchdown of the game.

After some off-the-field trouble early in his career, Baugh has re-established himself in the eyes of the coaching staff and is ready to take over the lead role with Vannett's departure.

"He’s a good athlete and has really developed," Warinner said of Baugh, according to Bill Rabinowitz of the Columbus Dispatch. "He has come a long way. He had a great year for us last year. We were really excited. The sky’s the limit."

If he can't secure the starting spot, he could get buried in the depth chart, as the Buckeyes signed three tight ends to their 2016 recruiting class.

Bri'onte Dunn, Running Back

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Bri'onte Dunn was one of the first recruits to join Ohio State after Meyer took over in late 2011, but the former 4-star standout has been a career backup during his time in Columbus. 

Now a redshirt senior in his final year with the Buckeyes, Dunn is trying to gain an edge in an incredibly murky running back situation.

Ohio State, of course, is replacing do-everything running back Elliott, who paced the offense with 4,125 total yards and 41 touchdowns over the last two seasons. Before him was Carlos Hyde, whom the Buckeyes rode in a ground-and-pound attack alongside Braxton Miller from 2012-13.

But unless a running back makes a huge move in spring practice, Meyer doesn't envision Ohio State having a featured back like that in 2016. 

"As I see it right now, you’ve got four guys carrying the ball for us in the fall," Meyer said earlier this spring, according to Tim Shoemaker of Eleven Warriors. "The two running backs [Bri'onte Dunn and Mike Weber] and then Dontre [Wilson] and Curtis [Samuel]."

Dunn's biggest competition in the backfield is redshirt freshman Mike Weber, who was on the verge of a breakout last year before a knee injury derailed his season. 

The senior is definitely feeling pressure from the freshman. Dunn will need to significantly outplay Weber in spring ball to earn a featured role in the offense.

"Well, Bri’onte [Dunn] is a senior, so I’d like to see him take that first swing," Meyer said, via Shoemaker. "But I think the guy behind him is pretty good, too. I guess you’d hope it would be Bri’onte Dunn to take the first snap of the first game of the season, but I think the kid behind him is pretty good, too."

All recruiting rankings and information courtesy of 247Sports.

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