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5 Burning Questions for Ohio State’s Spring Practices

Ohio State’s spring practice starts next week, so we break down 5 key questions the Buckeyes will be facing this spring

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Nov 9
Nov 9

By Patrick Weider 

Ohio State starts spring practice on March 17, two weeks later than normal. Head coach Ryan Day wanted to give the player’s bodies two more weeks to heal since they played 16 games last year—the equivalent of an old NFL regular season schedule. Ohio State still has lots of work to do and 15 practices set the groundwork for next year’s season. Below are five key questions Ohio State should try to answer during spring practice.

1. How Different Will Practice Be This Spring? 

Again, since the season ended so late (the National Championship game was Jan. 20) Ohio State is starting spring practice later and Day will be looking to rest the veteran players who do not need the additional playing time. A player like Caleb Downs comes to mind. He has played for two years and is one of the best players in college football. Resting him and letting the younger players get more playing time might be wise. Now you might have players like Kenyetta Jackson who rotated in and played in every game, need to get valuable reps in practice, but will also need to be smart with him because he played a ton last year and is counted on to be a starter this year. How Day manages it will be key, but regardless of it will be a great opportunity for young players to improve.

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2. Who Will Emerge at the Quarterback Position? 

Yes, of course, the quarterback battle is important. Trying to replace Will Howard will be no small task, so Julian Sayin and Lincoln Keinholz will be vying for the top spot. Sayin is entering his second season in the program and is expected to be the favorite as the starter, but he should get a battle from Keinholz in the spring. Freshman Tavien St. Clair enrolled early and will also be practicing as well and if an injury between Sayin or Keinholz happens he could be counted on for a bigger role this year. I’ll have more on this later in the week.

3. How do the New Coaches Get Acclimated to the Team? 

Matt Patricia arrives with plenty of fanfare after a long and successful run in New England and plenty of questions after he flamed out at Detroit. How Patricia gets along with the current coaching staff, will be interesting to watch this spring. Also, are there any scheme changes? Is Ohio State running more three-man fronts? Will they go away from a 4-2-5 base defense? It is interesting to see answers to all these questions. The other big coaching change is the offensive line with the new coach Tyler Bowan. How much of an impact does he make with the offensive line? The offensive line brings back three starters and two important transfers. How they mesh this spring will be important.

4. How Does Brian Hartline Acclimate to Be Offensive Coordinator? 

Brian Hartline got the promotion he was looking for when he was promoted to offensive coordinator for the Buckeyes. This will be an important spring for him to get used to calling plays and installing the offense. Obviously, Day will still be a part of it, but with him being more of a CEO-type head coach, Hartline must use the spring to grow as a coordinator. Even using the scrimmage format Ohio State has used in the past will be a big part of Hartline’s growth as a coach. I expect he will learn, a ton and it will help him be prepared for the fall.

5. What are the Important Position Battles? 

Besides quarterback, there are many positions up for grabs on the Ohio State depth chart. One important position is the safety position opposite Downs. Jaylen McClain and Malik Hartford will be competing for the safety position. Both are talented players so it should be a good battle. All four defensive line positions are up for grabs, so defensive ends Kenyatta Jackson and Caden Curry hope to lock down both defensive end positions. Same thing in the middle at defensive tackle with Eddrick Houston and Kayden McDonald. Running back will be another important position battle with transfer CJ Donaldson and James Peoples. I’ll have a bigger piece on these battles later this week. 

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