Ryan Day, New Faces Take Center Stage As Ohio State Begins Spring Practice on Wednesday

It will be Ryan Day’s first spring practice ever as a head coach. For Mike Yurcich, Greg Mattison, Jeff Hafley, Matt Barnes and Al Washington, it will be their first spring practice as Ohio State assistant coaches. Justin Fields will be participating in his first spring practice as a Buckeye – and competing for the starting quarterback job – after transferring from Georgia. Five-star recruits Zach Harrison and Garrett Wilson, among other early enrollee freshmen, will be participating in their first spring practices, as well.

All of that makes Ohio State’s spring practices this year even more important – and anticipated – than usual.

Half of the Buckeyes’ assistant coaches will be evaluating all of their players in a practice setting for the first time, while spring will be a crucial time for the entire coaching staff to figure out how they can best work together. Ohio State also has several position battles to sort through this spring, while young and inexperienced players at all positions will be looking to prove they belong on the field in 2019.

With spring practice set to begin at 8:30 a.m. Wednesday, we take a look at what you need to know heading into the Buckeyes’ first practices of the year.

New faces

As noted above, there will be a multitude of new faces playing prominent roles at Ohio State this upcoming season, making this spring a pivotal opportunity for coaches and players to begin their preparation for the Buckeyes’ 2019 games.

Yurcich is the only new assistant coach on offense, with Tony Alford, Brian Hartline, Kevin Wilson and Greg Studrawa all back on that side of the ball. Newly minted associate head coach and defensive line coach Larry Johnson is the only returning assistant coach on defense, however, with Mattison and Hafley taking over as co-defensive coordinators and Barnes and Washington also joining the staff on that side of the ball.

Day isn’t a new face at Ohio State, having been the Buckeyes’ quarterbacks coach for the past two years and offensive coordinator last year, but he’s certainly in a new role with new responsibility. And it’s the shoes he will be filling – now that Urban Meyer will no longer be coaching the Buckeyes (though he’ll still probably be around sometimes in his new role as assistant athletic director) – that could be the starkest difference around the Buckeyes this spring.

The Buckeyes will also have a new face at quarterback this year, whether that be Fields or redshirt freshman Matthew Baldwin, who are set to compete for the starting job this spring following the departure of Dwayne Haskins to the NFL draft.

Justin Fields will be the frontrunner to win Ohio State's starting quarterback job in his first spring as a Buckeye. Jeff Blake – USA TODAY Sports

Fields is one of eight brand new Buckeyes on the roster this spring, also including the six early enrollees in the Buckeyes’ 2019 recruiting class – Harrison, Wilson, Marcus Crowley, Ronnie Hickman, Ryan Jacoby and Noah Potter – as well as one new walk-on, Alex Koch, a wide receiver from Lebanon, Ohio, who joined the team in January.

Many players who were already on the roster before this spring, though, will also have the opportunity to emerge as new faces – at least to those who aren’t diehard Ohio State followers – as they compete with their teammates for the chance to earn increased playing time this year.

RELATED Young Up-and-Coming Players to Watch Entering Spring Practice

Key orders of business

First and foremost, Day and the rest of Ohio State’s new coaching staff must settle into their new roles and figure out the most effective ways to work together in order to lead the Buckeyes. While the staff has already had some time to get to know each other and work together since January, spring practice will be their first major opportunity to mesh both as a staff and with their players in an actual football setting.

It will also be Day’s first real test as the official leader of a football program, as he will have to prove that he is up to the task of managing the entire roster of coaches and players while establishing his head coaching style. Will Day remain integrally involved in the offense after leading one of the most successful offenses in school history last season, or will he delegate that responsibility to his assistant coaches and divide his time more equally among all phases of the game? Spring practice should start to make that more clear.

All the new coaches need to be able to get acclimated to their new roles right away, because they all have important work to do. Both Day and Yurcich will be involved in overseeing the development of the quarterbacks, which will be pivotal to the Buckeyes’ chances of competing a championship this season. Mattison, Washington, Hafley and Barnes, on the other hand, will all be involved in the Buckeyes’ efforts to turn around a defense that was one of the worst in school history last season, making spring an important time for them to install their defensive scheme and coach their players to improvement.

How players perform this spring will also go a long way in determining what the Buckeyes’ depth chart will look like this fall, and there are plenty of positions where playing time is up for grabs. The Buckeyes are replacing four starting offensive linemen from last season, while there are also a couple open spots in the wide receiver rotation and the need for a No. 2 running back to emerge behind J.K. Dobbins. Defensively, the Buckeyes will be looking for new starters to emerge at defensive tackle and safety (with Brendon White, one of last season’s starting safeties, expected to move to a hybrid linebacker position), while other positions – particularly at linebacker – could be open for competition under the new coaching staff.

RELATED Six Position Battles to Watch This Spring

Altogether, Ohio State has a lot to get accomplished this spring, and only 15 total practices in which to do so – after which they won’t have another full-fledged practice until preseason camp begins in late July or early August.

Spring schedule

Ohio State’s spring football season will span for five-and-a-half weeks, beginning Wednesday morning and culminating with the annual spring game, scheduled for Saturday, April 13 at noon at Ohio Stadium.

The Buckeyes are set to practice twice this week, on Wednesday and Friday, before students – including football players – will be free to leave town for a week for spring break. After they return to campus, the Buckeyes will resume practice on Tuesday, March 19 and hold three practices that week, including this year’s Student Appreciation Day practice on Saturday, March 23 at 11 a.m. at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center.

Ohio State’s full schedule for this year’s spring practices, including its scheduled media availabilities:

Eleven Warriors will be on the scene for every open practice and media availability, so be sure to stay tuned throughout the spring for stories, practice observations, videos, photos and more.

More reading material

As spring practice gets underway, take a look through Eleven Warriors’ 2019 Spring Preview for more on what to watch for over the next month-and-a-half weeks.

For analysis on each position on the Buckeyes’ roster heading into spring, check out our position-by-position previews for each Ohio State unit:

• Quarterbacks
• Running Backs
• Wide Receivers
• Tight Ends
• Offensive Linemen
• Defensive Linemen
• Linebackers
• Cornerbacks
• Safeties

For more on the players to watch and what the Buckeyes need to accomplish this spring, check out the following links:

• The Main Objectives for Each Ohio State Coach This Spring
• Biggest Questions Facing Ohio State As Spring Practice Begins
• Evaluating Which Returning Ohio State Starters Will Have to Compete for Their Jobs
• 10 Ohio State Players Facing Make-or-Break Opportunities to Earn Playing Time

Follow Eleven  WarriorsFacebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube