Another spring game has come and gone after over 60,000 fans crammed the Shoe for many reasons including hoping to catch a glimpse of Ohio State's next young breakout star.
Quarterback Justin Fields probably didn't look as fluid as most had hoped but true freshman Garrett Wilson and redshirt freshmen Jaelen Gill and Nicholas Petit-Frere certainly looked like guys poised to play significant roles this fall.
Wilson showed why coaches have raved about him all camp with an effortless high-point touchdown catch, Gill led all receivers with seven grabs for 95 yards and Petit-Frere showed quick feet at right tackle and is probably the clubhouse leader at the position heading into fall camp.
Other younger guys yet to play prominent roles like sophomore linebackers Teradja Mitchell and Dallas Gant, fellow sophomore defensive end Tyreke Smith and redshirt freshman running back Master Teague didn't jump off the page quite as much but Smith in particular is primed to be a rotational factor at defensive end.
But even with all the excitement over the young yet largely unproven talent, the fact is the 2019 Buckeyes will only go as far as the veterans players will take them.
The vast majority of the most indispensable veterans on Day's roster didn't play – or barely played – last Saturday as Day looks to preserve their collective health which is clear sign of their value to the team.
With that, here's a look at the five most indispensable players on the 2019 squad.
THAYER MUNFORD - JUNIOR - LEFT TACKLE
A first-year starter tasked with replacing Jamarco Jones a season ago, Munford was an All Big-Ten honorable mention selection who quietly protected the blindside of Dwayne Haskins during an underrated campaign.
Despite missing spring camp as he heals from nagging hip and back injuries that plagued him down the stretch, Munford gave up just one sack in 325 pass blocking opportunities.
With the departures of left guard Malcolm Pridgeon, center Michael Jordan, right guard Demetrius Knox and right tackle Isaiah Prince, the Buckeyes will lean heavily on Munford to not only hold down his left tackle spot but provide leadership to the lesser-experienced guys up front.
Looking at the depth, losing Munford for any extended period in 2019 would be nearly fatal to Ohio State's offense.
J.K. DOBBINS - JUNIOR - RUNNING BACK
After a freshman campaign in which he nearly set Ohio State's single-season yards per carry record for the team's leading rusher at 7.3 yards, Dobbins frankly didn't live up to expectations as a sophomore last year despite rushing for a team-leading 1,053 yards albeit on just 4.6 yards per tote – nearly a yard less than fellow running back Mike Weber averaged.
Dobbins still led the team in rushing touchdowns (10) and turned in game-changing performances against Nebraska (23 rushes, 163 yards, 3 TD) and Maryland (37 carries, 203 yards, TD), clearing up any doubt as to his value.
This year, for a few different reasons, he'll be counted on to produce more consistently than last season and in a way that more closely resembles his 2017 metrics.
Notably, Ohio State's offense doesn't have a gunslinger like Haskins to take over games which will undoubtedly put more pressure on the rushing attack – namely Dobbins – to produce.
Secondly, while there's talent behind Dobbins at tailback, guys like Master Teague, Marcus Crowley and even Demario McCall don't bring the proven veteran cache which was a luxury the last few years with Mike Weber teaming with Dobbins to form a definitive 1-2 punch.
As Day focuses on developing Fields and Baldwin and working to keep from putting too much on his first-year signal-caller(s), it'll be up to Dobbins and the offensive line to keep Ohio State's offense on schedule and out of obvious passing situations early on.
K.J. HILL - SENIOR - H-BACK
Seventh on Ohio State's career receptions list, Hill was Day's second-leading receiver a season ago with 70 catches for 885 yards.
With an ailing running game, Hill was counted on to haul in quick slants, crossing routes and other short stuff to keep the chains moving and improved his yards per catch by over three yards to 12.6 when matched against his sophomore season.
This year, Day and Brian Hartline will again rely on Hill to provide a security blanket for a first-year starting quarterback as well as leadership to a receiving corps that does feature veterans in Austin Mack and Ben Victor and an emerging second-year talent in Chris Olave but is otherwise green.
Hill's inclusion on this list could be seen as a reach for some but my logic is that it's hard to automatically assume Victor and Mack will both live up to expectations just because of their blue chip pedigree and the fact Hartline was able to help Johnnie Dixon, Parris Campbell and Terry McLaurin to such heights after their early-career struggles.
I'm not saying it won't happen, just that I'm a little less bullish on what they'll do especially without a marksman like Haskins distributing the rock, putting even more pressure on Hill to produce on the safer underneath stuff.
CHASE YOUNG - JUNIOR - DEFENSIVE END
Young led the Buckeyes in sacks (10.5), tackles for loss (15.5) and quarterback hurries (9) last year as a true sophomore and he'll need to exceed those numbers if Ohio State's defense is to pick itself off the mat following a dismal 2018 that saw them set school records for points and yards allowed.
Young was supposed to be the complement to Nick Bosa last year but after No. 97 went down with a season-ending injury in game three, Young was asked to do even more. It took a minute for him to settle in but Young finished the season with seven tackles for loss over the final four games including three against Northwestern in the Big Ten championship.
This year, Young will again be paired with Johnathon Cooper but after he tallied just 3.5 TFL over the final six games, defensive line wizard Larry Johnson will be looking for more from not just Cooper but also Tyreke Smith, Tyler Friday and maybe even Zach Harrison, Noah Potter and/or Javonte Jean-Baptiste.
That group certainly has loads of potential but losing Young for any extended period this fall would be a huge issue for Johnson and Ohio State's defense to overcome making Chase a no-brainer for this list.
JORDAN FULLER - SENIOR - SAFETY
Fuller has said himself he had a down year in 2018 which is a huge reason he returned for his senior year. Despite not taking as a big leap last year as he expected, Fuller still managed to make history as he became just the second Buckeye safety since 2001 to lead the team in tackles, tying Malik Harrison with 81, while picking up second-team All-B1G honors (media).
It's also hard to quantify how much of an impact it did or didn't have on his performance last year but it's worth noting he had to play at both safety spots as Alex Grinch and company failed to identify/develop a serviceable sidekick until week nine against Nebraska as Brendon White seized a starting role.
This year, with White potentially seeing a lot of snaps at the bullet spot, it'll be interesting to see who else emerges to provide depth and maybe more notably, just how often Ohio State's defense deploys two safeties at the same time. Jahsen Wint starred in the spring game and Isaiah Pryor is still around after a tough 2018 but most folks seem to think Josh Proctor could be ready to break out as a sophomore.
No matter how that spot pans out or even how often the scheme features two traditional safeties, Ohio State needs Fuller to stay on the field and take the next step as he anchors the last line of the Buckeye defense.
