Spring is all about the flash.
What players flash during the 15 practice sessions? Does the offense flash any differently than a year before? What about the defense? What about the freshmen? Who is flashy?
Spring causes great anticipation for salivating college football fans everywhere, folks who count down the days until their social media channels are flooded with updates from training camp come August. Practices in March and April provide a bit of a bridge, if only in an effort to see what players and topics will own their discussions with friends and families throughout the summer.
Ohio State's Spring Game is on Saturday, the final piece to the sixth set of such drills for Urban Meyer in Columbus. With the taste of a horrible showing in the Fiesta Bowl and a 31-0 loss to Clemson in the College Football Playoff still in their mouths, fans will file into Ohio Stadium anxiously to see if the offense and passing game has taken the steps forward under Kevin Wilson that they've been reading about for two months.
Those same fans will likely have a few names that they are most interested to see play in the scrimmage. Meyer undoubtedly will too. Here are mine, starting with three on offense, then three on defense.
Offense
Parris Campbell, Wide Receiver
So, is Campbell's reported rise legitimate? It looked like it in the brief moments the media was allowed to watch spring practice this spring. Meyer has blown him up quite a bit as well.
Campbell is the team's No. 1 player at receiver and a move to H by Zach Smith allows for Wilson, Meyer and Co. to better utilize his skill set. Campbell probably won't play too much on Saturday (much like quarterback J.T. Barrett) so as to avoid injury. But when he is in the lineup, what he does with the ball — and where he gets it within the offense — is of great interest.
Curtis Samuel was THE man in the offense in 2016. Campbell shouldn't be expected to step right in and fill Samuel's shoes seamlessly. But on Saturday, there will be plenty of eyes focused on Campbell to see if he looks different and has made a noticeable jump like Meyer indicated.
Johnnie Dixon, Wide Receiver
I could write three wide receivers in this section but will spare you and put just two. The position is the one that needed to take the largest step this spring, with so much production gone and so many familiar faces still around that really haven't done all that much in terms of making plays in college.
Enter Dixon. The reason he hasn't is obviously due to health, with his ailing knees working against him since surgery forced a redshirt in 2014. Dixon is incredibly fast, however, and has practiced consistently this spring — a massive step for him. Smith noted on Monday that Dixon mentally knows how to play receiver, but couldn't physically go out and do it to build confidence because of his knees.
“He's ahead of where a young kid would be but physically the grind of going through 15 spring practices and able to push through it and get better, that's what he's not struggling with — that's what he's dealing with,” Smith said. “Having to push through.”
At Student Appreciation Day, Dixon got behind the secondary deep down the field but couldn't reel in the pass. He was in position and got where he needed to on that particular play, but couldn't finish. Will he flash in the Spring Game?
Malcolm Pridgeon — Offensive Lineman
It is hard to imagine Ohio State's 2016 offensive line not including Pridgeon in some capacity had he not gone down with a knee injury in fall camp. As Meyer said on signing day last year, Ohio State does not take junior college transfers if they are not immediate contributors.
Ohio State's capable offensive linemen are few and far between, and Meyer said on Wednesday that unit remains a concern because of that. It needs to build depth and Pridgeon has worked with the second-string line throughout the spring at right guard. The Buckeyes still do not know who is going to start at that spot in 2017, with Demetrius Knox and Matthew Burrell rotating with the starters. Wyatt Davis is on his way this summer.
Many thought — the author included — that Pridgeon would play right tackle last year opposite of Jamarco Jones. His injury didn't allow that to happen and Isaiah Prince appears to still be the guy there with the first-team offense. But can Pridgeon show the necessary footwork and pass-blocking ability on Saturday to make Greg Studrawa consider starting him at guard? Though it is no fault of his own, Pridgeon entered with expectations as a junior college offensive lineman last season and couldn't play after he got hurt. We haven't seen him play yet. That is why he makes my list.
Defense
Kendall Sheffield — Cornerback
Sheffield was a 5-star recruit when he signed with Alabama a few years ago. After a season at Blinn Community College, he has himself in the mix to start at corner opposite of Denzel Ward this fall. Kerry Coombs likes to have multiple cornerbacks he considers starters to keep his guys fresh, so it is pretty safe to assume that Sheffield, Damon Arnette and potentially one of the three freshmen at the position that are already enrolled — Jeffrey Okudah, Marcus Williamson and Shaun Wade — will see significant time in 2017. If Coombs decides more of them are ready, he'll play more than three.
Sheffield is an intriguing study, though, because he obviously had the chops to play at a top program like Alabama. He was the first player in the 2017 recruiting class to lose the black stripe from his helmet, not all that surprising since he is two years older than the other guys he came in with. But he looks the part of a high-level athlete and Saturday is the first time the public will see him play in an Ohio State uniform.
To recap: Was good enough to play for Nick Saban + already lost black stripe + three years removed from high school football + Saturday is his first time playing in Ohio Stadium = extremely compelling.
Tuf Borland — Linebacker
Borland quietly redshirted last season and quickly saw himself thrust into the discussion of Ohio State's linebackers due to injuries to Baron Browning and Malik Harrison. He ran with the third-team defense during Saturday's practice, behind Chris Worley and Justin Hilliard.
Borland will get plenty of chances to show what he can do on Saturday, however, because it is all but assured Worley won't play. As a fifth-year senior and returning starter, there isn't a need. Can Borland make a move with Browning out? Harrison is an outside linebacker unlike Browning and Hilliard's struggle to stay healthy and battle through a pair of torn biceps muscles open the door slightly.
Hilliard should play a ton on Saturday too, with Bill Davis evaluating what he and the other young guys in his unit can do in front of a large crowd. Borland didn't get a chance to do that last season since he did not play. He did enroll early though, so this is his second spring in Columbus.
Jordan Fuller — Safety
Fuller saw time on special teams last season and is locked in a battle for a starting safety spot with Erick Smith, a senior. Smith missed some time with an ACL injury two seasons ago and as a result took a back seat to Malik Hooker's rise to a first-round draft pick.
Fuller was a major coup for Ohio State when it plucked him out of New Jersey last February. The excitement was palpable when he chose the Buckeyes over Michigan and Notre Dame a few days before signing day. His potential sounds like it is through the roof according to Greg Schiano, as hard of an evaluator as you will find.
How Fuller and Smith both perform on Saturday is of great interest because of how much the Buckeyes have to replace on the back end of their defense. It is important to remember that Fuller played as a true freshman for a reason. Can he make a play that sticks in Schiano's head all summer?
Bonus
- Tate Martell, Dwayne Haskins — Quarterback: Martell didn't get any reps with the offense during last Saturday's practice until the red zone period. What can the 5-foot-10 quarterback do with more chances and in front of a big crowd? And Haskins is the great unknown. Meyer gushes about his talent whenever he has the chance, yet he hasn't played a snap of college ball yet.
- Sean Nuernberger — Kicker: There will be a period of the game where Meyer will make Nuernberger kick field goals from multiple distances as the head coach stands no more than a yard from him. Meyer didn't exactly give him a ringing endorsement last week when asked about the kicking situation.
- Demario McCall — Running back: Meyer definitively said on Wednesday that J.K. Dobbins will play this fall. Dobbins and McCall are battling to be Mike Weber's backup. So how does McCall react being that he is a year older than Dobbins?
