The 2012-2013 Ohio State Buckeyes have a brand new head coach in Urban Meyer, who has won 2 national championships (both with Florida). Spring football has hit in Columbus as of yesterday and here's the breakdown from what we gathered.
The first day of official practice started off with the players and coaches moving inside to the WHAC due to the heavy winds in Columbus. At this point in time it doesn't make a difference whether they practice inside or outside, this is a time to see who's got what, no matter where they are playing.
The practice started quickly and ended much of the same way. The entire practice, the Buckeyes full-out sprinted to just about every drill once they completed whatever station they were at. This continued for the whole practice, giving us the hint that the coaching staff is stressing speed onto this team. Whether or not Ohio State is ready to be sprinting right now, they have to get to that point. Urban must have known this:
"I think they got exhausted. The amount of plays we got was incredible. That was even a lot for me," Meyer said Wednesday, crediting offensive coordinator Tom Herman, who came from Iowa State, for bringing that to the offense. "We weren't that way at Florida. We weren't rapid fire. But we're rapid fire now."
While having spring practice is great, it won't last long. The second practice is Friday and the spring game is April 21. It's important to Urban that this team is well prepared for what they have ahead. Many times before, Meyer has explained that the two-deep will be set before fall camp.
In fact, right after spring camp, the depth chart will most likely be just about finished with some wiggle room for incoming recruits and injuries, etc. As for right now, we already got a good in-depth look at what the Ohio State offensive depth chart looks like right now. Join us after the jump for the goods.
Quarterback
1. Braxton Miller (So.) - Not much of a surprise here but he did look pretty sharp throwing the ball today. A lot of what the QB's did today was mostly zone-read run plays. Selling the fakes and whatnot. It's an important aspect to Urban Meyer's offense, there is no doubt to that.
2. Kenny Guiton (RS Jr.) - Proven to be a capable backup, some people were vying for Guiton to get some reps in front of Braxton once Bauserman was ineffective.
Running Back
1. Jordan Hall (RS Sr.) - Once again, not a huge surprise here as Hall is the team's returning leading rusher. More of a speed back, he's not afraid to take a hit. You can take my word that nothing is set in stone here, as Urban is planning to use more than 1 tailback in this offense.
2. Carlos Hyde (Jr.) - Hyde has made strides but still has to prove to the new coaching staff that he can tote the rock just as much as anyone else. Played some last year, exploding against Nebraska but then did a disappearing act. No one was sure whether it was the coaching staff, or a deeper problem but it's something to keep an eye on.
3. Rod Smith/Bri'onte Dunn (So. & Fr.) - For the majority of the practice, Rod Smith and true freshman Bri'onte Dunn shared reps but almost the same amount as Hyde and Hall. Dunn of course an early-enrolled freshman has already made an impression on Urban.
Wide Receiver
1. Devin Smith (So.)
2. Evan Spencer (So.)
3. Chris Fields (RS Jr.)
- Just to clear any confusion: Ohio State is moving to an offense that features 3 wide receivers on the field almost all of the time. That means three spots are "starters". So in this case, it's in no particular order. Smith, Spencer and Fields are your starters as of now. The interesting note? Junior wideout Philly Brown was working with the 2nd team. We aren't certain whether it's a move by the staff to try and motivate Brown but we are certain he was working with the 2s.
Offensive Line
LT - Jack Mewhort
LG - Andrew Norwell
C - Corey Linsley
RG - Marcus Hall
RT - Reid Fragel
- Don't expect too many changes on this offensive line. Bobek could try to make a move to play center but he's going to have to earn it. As for everything else, it seems pretty locked up, barring injury.
Key Defensive Notes
- Linebackers today were Ryan Shazier, Curtis Grant and Etienne Sabino. The WILL spot is held down by Shazier while a surprise with Curtis Grant at MIKE. Storm Klein was mostly sidelined from the drills today, without a given reason. SAM was Sabino. We might see some shifts, as this is a heavily contested position on the defense.
- The defensive line started John Simon, Johnathan Hankins, Garrett Goebel and Adam Bellamy on Wednesday, with Chase Farris, Joel Hale, Michael Bennett and Steve Miller as the second team.
Simon is playing as the LEO rush end for the moment, as he did last year, but that's not his best position. The Buckeyes need someone to emerge there. Senior Nathan Williams is out for the spring while still coming back from his knee surgery, and incoming five-star recruit Noah Spence, who arrives in June, should jump right into that competition in August.
- The Buckeyes don't have much depth at corner, but Travis Howard and Bradley Roby are locked in as the starters and sophomore Doran Grant is the No. 3 corner.
The starting safeties are again Christian Bryant and C.J. Barnett, with Bryant sliding to the STAR position and Orhian Johnson coming in at safety in the nickel.
Finally, Meyer said the offense should be installed by the fifth or sixth practice, but if the players can't handle that, it may take until practice 10 or 11.
"Installing the offense and identifying playmakers, we're in a sprint for that," Meyer said. "We're in a journey for the other stuff."
Below is a video via Cleveland.com from the Ohio State practice. Please enjoy!
