Ohio State Buckeyes: What we’ve learned from spring practice so far

Here is what we have learned so far:

1. Nothing about the quarterbacks.

Might as well get that one out of the way. The biggest storyline of the spring is also the one most shrouded in mystery.

Reporters were allowed in for a few minutes Friday, and that confirmed freshmen C.J. Stroud, Jack Miller III and Kyle McCord can throw the ball. It wasn’t necessarily an indication of anything else.

Head coach Ryan Day has insisted there is no pecking order yet and resisted giving much of an impression of how he sees the race shaping up.

“They are grinding at it,” he said Friday after practice. “They want to get better. They have the right attitude, and I’m excited about all of their futures.”

2. Not everyone is available.

This is typical for spring as many players have operations after the regular season to get injuries cleaned up — some minor, some more significant — but this year the information has trickled out through interviews because no portions of any practice were open until Friday morning.

Defensive lineman Haskell Garrett, offensive lineman Harry Miller, linebacker Dallas Gant, cornerbacks Cam Brown and Sevyn Banks and receiver Kamryn Babb are among those who are out or limited in what they can do at this point.

Of them, Miller’s absence might be the most impactful. He started at guard last year and is expected to move to center this season.

Gant is a senior hoping to move into the starting lineup this season after the graduation of four veterans at that position while Brown and Banks are returning starters at cornerback, a position where youngsters were expected to vie for playing time anyway.

Brown’s absence was expected as he suffered a season-ending achilles injury in October, but the unidentified injury to Banks (and Babb) only became public this week via a report by Bucknuts.com.

3. The overall defensive philosophy is not likely to change.

Ohio State’s national championship game scheme was widely criticized after Alabama ripped the OSU defense to shreds, and Day said all options would be considered in fixing some problems that lingered for much of the year.

While there was never a question the Buckeyes would continue operating out of a 4-3 base front, defensive coordinator Kerry Coombs and others have indicated the team is still utilizing a deep safety, slot safety and hybrid outside linebacker/defensive back along with two cornerbacks and two inside linebackers.

Who ends up filling those spots — especially slot safety and linebacker —could impact how the defense is called this fall, but Coombs has indicated he expects man coverage to continue to be a calling card of the Buckeyes.

4. Spots in the secondary seem to be wide open.

Newly-promoted secondary coach Matt Barnes declined to identify a pecking order at any position in the back end of the defense, but he confirmed youngsters such as Cam Martinez, Ryan Watts, Lejond Cavazos and Lathan Ransom have impressed as fundamentals are being emphasized over the depth chart.

Day liked what he saw in a scrimmage Friday.

“I’m very pleased with the development of those young guys,” Day said. “This is a great opportunity for them to have to step up for the spring.

“We will get Sevyn and Cam back in the preseason and get them going. This is great for us because it’s building our depth in that area. Corner is an area where we need depth. We do have some young guys there, but this spring has been good in that area. They are getting better because they are practicing. They just have not played or practiced a lot.”

On Friday, reporters attending the open early portion of practice learned Demario McCall is also getting a look in the defensive secondary. The “super senior” (a term applied to players who had used up all their eligibility but accepted the NCAA’s offer of a free year of eligibility because of the pandemic) spent his first five seasons bouncing between running back and receiver.

5. Tight end could continue to be an important position.

A position often talked about in the spring and forgotten in the fall had a strong 2020 thanks to seniors Luke Farrell and Jake Hausmann as well as junior Jeremy Ruckert.

Ruckert is expected to be The Man after surprisingly opting to return for his senior season, and a handful of youngsters are looking to replace him as the second option at that position.

Cade Stover, Corey Rau, Joe Royer, Mitch Rossi and Sam Hart all bring different things to the position, but any of them proving to be worthy of playing time could give Day more options as far as plays and formations that can keep defensive coordinators guessing.

Gee Scott Jr., a sophomore who arrived last year as a highly recruited receiver, is also trying his hand at the position.

“Gee came to us and thought about having a conversation about possibly doing some tight end stuff,” Day said. “We thought it was a great idea. He’s a very mature young man who sees a future in that for him. Now, whether we go full time with that or not, we’ll see.”