Ohio State Football: 10 Training Camp Priorities

Ohio State football camp is in full swing as the Buckeyes can finally begin to climb out of the darkness that the scandal involving Jim Tressel and Terrelle Pryor has cast on the program.

The school will meet with the NCAA Committee on Infractions on August 12 to answer more questions about the past transgressions, but it's finally time for the football program to get back to playing games.

The September 3 opener against Akron still can't come soon enough, but there are some things that still need to be figured out.

Here's a look at 10 things Ohio State needs to figure out in this training camp.

1. Find a Starting QB

Through four practices, Luke Fickell has done little to tip his hand on who his QB will be.

Joe Bauserman seems to be the slight favorite, and Kenny Guiton and Taylor Graham have each raised eyebrows, letting coaches know they are in the middle of it as well.

Braxton Miller has been improving steadily, but is hampered by the fact he isn't able to do what makes him special—making something out of nothing since practice isn't in pads, .

Fickell has said he expects Miller to be a different player when the pads come on.

Obviously, this competition is going to be the biggest focus this month.

2. Find a Serviceable Receiver to Temporarily Replace DeVier Posey

It's no secret that the biggest worry among Buckeye fans—outside of who will take snaps under center—is who will be catching the passes.

DeVier Posey, who is under a five-game suspension, will no doubt be the No. 1 guy when he returns.

But in the meantime, the battle for the two starting jobs in his absence has actually been quite competitive according to multiple reports.

According to some reports, sophomore Corey Brown has improved, especially when it comes to his aggressiveness as a blocker. Also, redshirt freshman Verlon Reed, a converted QB, has been a sponge for coaching and shows some explosiveness after the catch.

Ohio State has a pair of good TEs in Jake Stoneburner and Reid Fragel, but they do need their young talent at WR to step up in Posey's absence.

3. Pick a Starting RB

What Ohio State lacks at WR, they make up for, and then some, when it comes to their depth at running back.

Jordan Hall, Jaamal Berry and Rod Smith have all shown that they have the ability to be a feature back at the college level.

While Hall will likely be used as a flex option, meaning he will be a receiver much more often, he can still be the No. 1 back in this offense.

Berry and Smith could provide the ultimate thunder and lightning combination—Smith with his grinding power and Berry with his amazing speed.

They are all competing for carries mostly in the first five games as Boom Herron will resume his No. 1 duties when he returns from suspension.

4. Establish an Offensive Identity

With Jim Tressel gone, the notorious Tresselball might be gone as well. It's unclear how much more or less aggressive Fickell will demand the offense get, though he might be limited due to lack of experienced talent on that side of the ball.

These camps are important for Ohio State to figure out what type of offensive team they are going to be.

It seems almost obvious that they want to predominantly be a running team, but they have plenty of speed at the WR position, similar to the Philadelphia Eagles from a personnel standpoint.

But that's why they have these practices, and hopefully they are able to quickly figure out the identity of the offense. With a team missing its starting QB, that alone may be the most important step to sustaining success.

5. Get Guys Like C.J. Barnett Ready After Injuries

Through most of the first two games of the season, it looked as if Ohio State had its next star at safety in C.J. Barnett.

But a serious knee injury cost Barnett the rest of the 2010 season—a very disappointing way to end what was a promising season.

Barnett appears to be healthy and will likely start at SS with Orhian Johnson, who grew greatly in 2010, at FS.

Barnett has the hitting ability that would make the late Jack Tatum proud, but with his limited experience, his coverage skills have not been proven yet.

Still,, there is no question he has potential to be one of the best safeties in the modern era; he just needs to stay healthy and avoid injuries this year.

6. Sort out the Starting Linebackers

It's no secret that the two players assisting Terrelle Pryor off the field after the Sugar Bowl, senior Andrew Sweat and redshirt junior Etienne Sabino, will be two of the starting linebackers.

But it seems like third-year player Storm Klein, a local folk legend from his high school days, is surprising many and looks like he could start with the two.

Klein might likely push Sabino to SAM, or strongside backer, and platoon the middle of the defense.

Both players have the size and athleticism to be dominant forces in the middle, but Sabino's size could limit him to base packages and could be swapped out for the STAR, S/LB hybrid in nickel situations.

But regardless of those logistics, the starting 'backers should still be quite a good unit.

7. Decide on Second Starting Corner

Travis Howard is without question the team's top corner, especially after his breakout performance in the second half of the 2010 season.

But the other starting job is up for grabs. Right now, the battle is another three-man competition between Dominic Clarke, Bradley Roby and former Florida State Seminole Dionte Allen.

The favorite at the moment appears to be Clarke, who stepped up and played well when the secondary was being stretched for depth in the Sugar Bowl, and followed it up with a strong spring.

Clarke's biggest strengths are in his pure speed, meaning he has the ability to close quickly if he gets beat in coverage.

He will still have to win the job, but he can certainly be another solid player in the secondary.

8. Find New Leaders

It almost seems ironic that Ohio State is a darkhorse for the Leaders Division when its two biggest leaders, Tressel and Pryor, are both gone.

Now Ohio State has to find some new voices of leadership out of the group that certainly is still among the most talented teams in the country.

One of the guys that can almost certainly fill that role is senior center Mike Brewster, who was the reason why the incredible recruiting class which featured Pryor, Posey, Mike Adams and others all came to OSU in 2008.

Brewster, along with Sweat and Nathan Williams, should provide a good amount of senior leadership. Those three players are among the hardest working players on the team and they have enough toughness to effectively motivate their teammates to consistently perform at a high level.

9. Continue to Find Impact Freshmen

With another top five recruiting class in the fold for Ohio State, there are a lot of chances for young guys to make big things happen on the field.

The two most likely to see the field as freshmen are Braxton Miller and LB Curtis Grant, both consensus blue-chippers and high school studs.

But a couple other names fans can expect to see on the field as freshmen include two youngsters that have been in Columbus since JanuaryLB Ryan Shazier and DL Joel Hale.

Shazier is a very fast LB who seems to be a pass-rushing specialist, and Hale is a physical, high-motor guy who can create some havoc in the middle of the defense.

In addition, with the lack of proven depth at the WR position for the time being, keep an eye on Devin Smith and Evan Spencer to get some reps this year.

10. Continue to Buy into "Us Against the World" Mentality

The Jim Tressel era couldn't have ended in a more disgraceful manner, as he was forced out of his job for deceiving NCAA investigators with regards to the violations that initially got the program into hot water.

But since Tressel has departed, the high amount of negativity and disdain from the national prognosticators seems to have offended some Buckeye players on a personal level.

Local vendors have made T-shirts that simply say, "Shock the World," and many players were wearing those shirts as they came into the hotels for fall camps.

The motivation is there to silence the doubters and to make a statement to the world that Ohio State is still Ohio State, even without Tressel, and that they won't be going anywhere any time soon.

Whether or not the NCAA will allow them to make a statement due to a bowl ban is unclear at this point, but there is an optimism among the players and they still expect to extend their record streak of consecutive Big Ten titles to seven.

For more college football news and updates, visit The BCS Blitz and follow me on Twitter @bielik_tim.