When spring practice begins on March 4, first-time head coach Ryan Day and his inaugural Ohio State coaching staff will finally have a chance to work with their players.
In the month-and-a-half of spring practices, leaders could emerge at some positions that don't have returning starters locked in to their spots.
Let's take a look at some of the competitions that will ramp up next week.
Offense
Quarterback
The candidates: Justin Fields (So.), Matthew Baldwin (RS-Fr.)
Breakdown: This is inarguably the team's most important competition of the spring, and in all likelihood, it won't even be a competition. Unless something unexpected happens, Fields will line up behind center for the first offensive snap of the season on Aug. 31 against Florida Atlantic as Ohio State's starting quarterback.
Fields sat behind Jake Fromm in the fall at Georgia before transferring to Ohio State in January and earning immediate eligibility on Feb. 8. It's hard to imagine he would have chosen to become a Buckeye without an understanding he'd have every opportunity to win the job, if not instantly become the favorite.
Though Fields lacks much collegiate experience, he has the high-school credentials to replace record-setting Dwayne Haskins. The Kennesaw, Georgia, native was the No. 2 overall prospect in the 2018 class, just behind Clemson's Trevor Lawrence, and will be the highest-rated recruit in the online recruiting era to suit up in scarlet and gray. He's a dual threat with a 4.5-second 40-yard dash and an arm that helped him win the Elite 11 MVP award. As a freshman at Georgia, Fields played sparingly, completing 27-of-39 passes for 328 yards and four touchdowns and rushed 42 times for 266 yards and four touchdowns.
It might be unfair to even label this as a competition, for Fields is the overwhelming favorite, but Day might not name a starter until after spring practice.
If Fields doesn't start, Baldwin would be Ohio State's quarterback. He spent most of the past year recovering from a torn ACL and didn't play a snap as a freshman. But even though he hasn't played yet, he has a year of experience learning Day's system and was hand-picked by the new head coach as the program's quarterback in the 2018 recruiting cycle after Emory Jones decommited.
Spring Previews
Two days before Ohio State knew Fields would be eligible to play in the fall, Day was asked whether Fields and Baldwin would split reps this spring, and Day called it an "interesting discussion."
The Buckeyes will likely know their starting quarterback by the end of spring practice. But even if that doesn't happen, it'll be worth keeping an eye on how quarterbacks split reps, for that could give everyone an idea of which way the coaches are leaning.
Wide Receiver
The candidates: Kamryn Babb (RS-Fr.), C.J. Saunders (Sr.), L'Christian Smith (RS-Fr.), Ellijah Gardiner (RS-So.), Garrett Wilson (Fr.), Jaelen Gill (RS-Fr.), Jaylen Harris (RS-So.), Demario McCall (RS-Jr.)
Breakdown: After five years at Ohio State, Parris Campbell, Johnnie Dixon and Terry McLaurin are gone. Austin Mack, K.J. Hill, Binjimen Victor and Chris Olave remain, but there are a couple openings in the rotation that a cadre of younger Buckeyes will compete for.
With Campbell heading to the NFL, an opening exists at H-back behind Hill, who will take the majority of the snaps. With spring practice soon beginning, Gill, Saunders and McCall are the three leading candidates to back up Hill.
Gill played running back his entire life until entering Ohio State's program, he spent 2018 redshirting, playing just 15 offensive snaps. But after learning wide receiver for a year, he'll be in the mix to back up Hill. Saunders is a former walk-on who played the eighth-most snaps of the wide receivers in 2018. McCall's position – H-back or running back – hasn't been determined.
On the outside, Wilson, Babb, Smith, Harris and Gardiner will have a chance to join the rotation alongside Mack, Victor and Olave. Wilson enrolled in Ohio State in January, and all four other players redshirted the 2018 season.
Offensive Guard
The candidates: Branden Bowen (RS-Sr.), Gavin Cupp (RS-Jr.), Matthew Jones (RS-Fr.), a possible graduate transfer
Breakdown: Demetrius Knox suffering a season-ending injury gave Wyatt Davis a chance to start the final two games of Ohio State's 2018 season, and he flourished, setting himself up as the team's starting guard in 2019. Who will man the other guard position? That's arguably the biggest question mark as the Buckeyes enter spring practice.
Ohio State seemingly has three options, and appears to be trying to add someone else.
Bowen, who was out since suffering a broken leg during the 2017 season, is the only returning player other than Davis to have started a game at guard. For a while, his future seemed to reside at offensive tackle. But given the lack of depth at guard, Bowen might have to remain an interior lineman.
Cupp hasn't played much, only appearing on offense in two games last season. Jones is an unknown as well, not playing a snap as a freshman.
Ohio State has been connected to a couple graduate transfer linemen, including Rutgers' Jonah Jackson, as well, which would certainly improve depth.
Right Tackle
The candidates: Nicholas Petit-Frere (RS-Fr.), Joshua Alabi (RS-Sr.), Max Wray (RS-Fr.), Branden Bowen (RS-Sr.)
Breakdown: After three years of Isaiah Prince locked in as Ohio State's right tackle, the Buckeyes will begin their search for his replacement in the spring.
The lack of depth on the offensive line can be felt here. Alabi is a fifth-year senior and Petit-Frere has a year of experience after entering Ohio State as a five-star prospect, but neither are sure things, even though both could be productive if given the chance.
Alabi earned some spot playing time the past two seasons filling in as a mid-game injury replacement. But he finally got his opportunity to start for the first time in the Rose Bowl. Washington game-planned to attack the converted defensive tackle, and Alabi had some issues. However, he put together a solid performance and one that will undoubtedly weight on Greg Studrawa's mind as he determines who will start in 2019.
Petit-Frere has a chance to beat out Alabi. He was the top-rated offensive tackle in his recruiting cycle and was the No. 7 overall recruit in the nation. However, Petit-Frere needed to put on weight to have a chance start at right tackle, which played a part in him taking a redshirt season after playing in three of the first four games of the season.
If the Buckeyes add a graduate transfer who could start at guard, Bowen might become an option at offensive tackle, too.
There's a lot of uncertainty at right tackle, and given Ohio State will be playing a first-year starting quarterback, Studrawa needs to ensure the position doesn't become a liability.
Defense
Defensive Tackle
The candidates: Haskell Garrett (RS-So.), Davon Hamilton (RS-Sr.), Taron Vincent (So.), Antwuan Jackson (RS-Jr.)
Breakdown: Undoubtedly, the loss of Dre'Mont Jones will be tough to overcome. It's rare for defensive tackles to disrupt offenses as often as he wreaked havoc.
However, Larry Johnson has quite a few options to make up for his loss.
Robert Landers will likely start at nose tackle as a redshirt senior, though Hamilton could push him for that position. Hamilton was largely used as a nose tackle in the fall, but since he'll be a fifth-year senior, Johnson could be tempted to use him at three-technique to help replace Jones.
Beyond Hamilton, who has an edge in experience, Ohio State has a few other options who pushed for playing time last season and will do so again this spring.
Garrett, a 6-foot-2, 293-pound defensive tackle, enters his third year in the program after joining the Buckeyes as a top-75 recruit from Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas. He played the fourth-most defensive tackle snaps in the fall, behind Jones, Landers and Hamilton. Though Garrett doesn't have Jones' pass-rush acumen, Johnson named him as someone who could "surprise" in the 2019 season.
Vincent, now a 6-foot-2, 288-pound sophomore, was a five-star prospect and the top-rated defensive tackle in his class. He played 98 snaps as a true freshman and will be in the mix this spring. Jackson was a highly regarded junior-college transfer but played only 24 snaps in 2018.
Jones won't be easily replaceable, and Johnson will likely use a rotation. But there's a bevy of inexperienced, yet talented players who have a chance to step up this spring.
Linebacker
The candidates: Pete Werner (Jr.), Tuf Borland (RS-Jr.), Baron Browning (Jr.), Teradja Mitchell (So.), Justin Hilliard (RS-Sr.), Dallas Gant (So.), K'Vaughan Pope (So.)
Breakdown: Among all the position battles, the most uncertainty remains with the linebackers. Will it even be an open competition? How will new linebackers coach Al Washington handle the situation?
Malik Harrison will return as a senior, and he's essentially locked into a starting spot as an outside linebacker. But Tuf Borland and Pete Werner will be back, too, and both endured their fair share of struggles last season. In early February, Washington said he didn't want to call it an "open competition" since he had just been hired a couple weeks prior, but he seemed willing to giving players opportunities to win jobs from returning starters.
"You've got to give the kids a chance to prove themselves to you during the spring, right, I mean, workouts," Washington said on Feb. 6. "So my take has always been to evaluate the body of work that you have, so you look at some things about last year, and then consider what you're doing this year. And then give them a chance to show you if they can execute and do the things that you need them to do."
Borland has an edge as both a returning starter and a team captain, but he'll have to hold off Browning, Mitchell and Pope to maintain his spot. With a year of experience in the program, Mitchell could be an intriguing option. He was the second-rated inside linebacker in his class, and at 6-foot-2, 236 pounds, he has the necessary size. As a freshman, he made his impact largely on special teams, but there could be an opening for him to earn some of Borland's snaps.
Browning is one of the more interesting backups on the team. He entered the program in 2017 as a five-star prospect and the top outside linebacker recruit in the nation. But he has just 38 tackles in two seasons. In the fall, Browning backed up Borland. Given his athleticism at 6-foot-3, 240 pounds, though, Browning's future likely lies on the outside.
In order to remain a starter at outside linebacker, Werner will have to hold off Browning, along with Gant and Hilliard. Gant impressed on special teams as a freshman and could be in line for more reps, while Hilliard is a fifth-year senior and has one last year of college football.
Washington will have a lot of options, and there'll be pressure for him to fix what went wrong with the position in the fall, whether that means replacing returning starters or not.
