Ohio State football: 5 things to know as preseason practice begins

Here are five things they can expect to see:

1. Five quarterbacks

For the second year in a row, the marquee battle of the preseason will be at quarterback.

Last year, Kyle McCord entered the preseason thought to be the favorite over Devin Brown, who pushed the battle into the season but ultimately wasn’t able to win the job.

McCord is gone, but Brown is back — and still viewed as more likely to be the No. 2 quarterback than the starter when the Buckeyes kick off the season Aug. 31 against Akron.

This time the favorite is Will Howard, a senior who transferred to Ohio State after starting more than 20 games at Kansas State. Both have similar skill sets — big, strong athletes with adequate arms — so Howard’s experience might ultimately be the difference.

Also in the mix will be redshirt freshman Lincoln Kienholz and true freshmen Julian Sayin and Air Noland.

Whoever wins the job, head coach Ryan Day has said repeatedly he expects his quarterbacks to be a bigger part of the running game this fall.

2. New linebackers

Ohio State will have new starters at the second level of the defense, but who will it be in the starting lineup? And how many?

Cody Simon is penciled in at middle linebacker after backing up both interior spots last season, but athletic juniors C.J. Hicks and Sonny Styles are expected to battle for the other starting spot.

Then again, defensive coordinator Jim Knowles might opt to play both and use more 4-3 alignments as opposed to the 4-2-5 look that has served as his base.

3. Offensive changes.

Maybe.

To be clear, Ohio State is going to do some different things on offense, but it remains to be seen how much new offensive coordinator Chip Kelly changes things.

Knowing that he will have a paid audience the first four days, Kelly might also keep some things under wraps to avoid tipping off future opponents, too.

The Buckeyes can be expected to remain primarily a shotgun-based offense, but they could run the ball more and in a greater variety of ways.

4. Transfers

The bulk of the starting lineup will consist of returning starters, including a dozen players who put off entering the NFL Draft in hopes of beating Michigan and winning the Big Ten for the first time in their career.

Transfers are sprinkled throughout the roster, though, and could be in vital roles. Howard could be the No. 1 quarterback taking snaps from Alabama transfer Seth McLaughlin and handing off to Mississippi transfer Quinshon Judkins.

On the other side of the ball, sophomore safety Caleb Downs is expected to be one of the team’s leaders after starring as a freshman safety at Alabama, and Keenan Nelson Jr. was brought in to add depth at safety after two years at South Carolina.

5. Freshmen

Even on teams full of veterans, everyone wants to know about the new guys.

Playing time may be tough to come by, but a handful of high-profile recruits could force their way onto the field.

That group includes Jeremiah Smith, a 6-foot-3, 215-pound receiver from Chaminade-Madonna Prep in South Florida who was the No. 1-rated recruit in the country last fall.

He is the best bet of the freshmen to earn a starting role, but running backs James Peoples and Sam Williams-Dixon are virtually guaranteed to get some early playing time because of lack of depth at that position.

Springfield High School graduate Aaron Scott Jr. headlines a group of talented young defensive backs who will need to prove they are ready to add depth now and step into the starting lineup sooner or later.