COLUMBUS — Ohio State had the blessing and the curse of being the youngest team in the Football Bowl Subdivision last season. The Buckeyes forced a whopping 29 players with freshman eligibility onto the field en route to earning a place in the College Football Playoff and finishing 11-2.
Now begins the next step.
OSU opens spring practice today in Columbus with its sights on a return trip to the CFP, but also with some notable areas of need following one key graduation and six NFL departures. Ohio State is more than five months away from its season-opening game at Indiana, though spring football will shed some light onto which players are ready for elevated roles, and which are not.
In particular, the Buckeyes have five positions worth monitoring this spring.
■ Right guard: Stalwart Billy Price is back, albeit one spot to his left. Price will take over for the graduated center Pat Elflein, opening his former spot at guard.
In this case, two true freshmen provide some intrigue. Josh Myers is already in the mix after enrolling early, Ohio State coach Urban Meyer said on signing day, and Wyatt Davis was the top-rated high school guard. Demetrius Knox played guard in a pinch during the Fiesta Bowl, and Malcolm Pridgeon could be involved after missing all of last season with an injury.
■ Middle linebacker: Ohio State has plenty of experience on the edges with Chris Worley, Jerome Baker, and Dante Booker, who earned a medical redshirt last year.
Middle linebacker won't be as simple, where the Buckeyes have to replace an All-American. Raekwon McMillan declared for the draft, so the Buckeyes must replace the player who led the team in tackles in both 2015 and 2016.
Soon-to-be-sophomores Malik Harrison and Keandre Jones are involved, and former five-star recruit Justin Hilliard could finally be healthy. They'll all be pushed by true freshman Baron Browning, the top-rated high school linebacker, who could follow in McMillan's footsteps and earn playing time right away.
■ Cornerback: Ohio State will miss Marshon Lattimore and Gareon Conley, but the cupboard is not bare. Denzel Ward returns along with fellow letter-winners Rodjay Burns and Damon Arnette.
A wave of newcomers will also have their say. Jeffery Okudah, Shaun Wade, Kendall Sheffield, and Amir Riep all were heavily recruited corners.
It's the most wide-open position on the team heading into spring practice.
■ Safety: Perhaps nobody was more important to OSU's 2016 success than safety Malik Hooker, but OSU now must find a replacement. Erick Smith is the most veteran, with 33 previous appearances, and could move into a starting role, while Jordan Fuller played in all 13 games as a freshman last season.
True freshman Isaiah Pryor is already on campus and could find his way into the rotation as soon as this year.
■ Wide receiver: After a humbling 31-0 loss to Clemson in the Fiesta Bowl to conclude last season, Meyer vowed that Ohio State “will become a good passing team” in 2017.
The Buckeyes will try without their top three receivers from last season, and especially will miss Curtis Samuel's skill and Noah Brown's physical edge blocking.
In their place, Ohio State has a host of role players looking for upward mobility. Six players in the group are letter-winners — K.J. Hill, Parris Campbell, Terry McLaurin, Austin Mack, and Binjimen Victor — and the Buckeyes added one of the country's best receiver recruits, Trevon Grimes.
The Buckeyes also will give former safety Eric Glover-Williams a long look at the slot receiver position vacated by Samuel.
The group does not include James Clark, who the school announced Monday would leave after graduating in May.
With J.T. Barrett back for his senior season, quarterback is stable once again. If Meyer's vow is to come true, Ohio State needs a few players in the receivers room group to emerge.
Contact Nicholas Piotrowicz at: npiotrowicz@theblade.com, 724-6110, or on Twitter @NickPiotrowicz
First Published March 7, 2017, 5:22 a.m.
