With so many new starters, the Buckeyes are expecting veteran QB J.T. Barrett to be a leader this fall. 2:12 PM ET The first phase in the “Year of Development” is in the books at Ohio State. The next step is throwing a bunch of young Buckeyes into pads and trying to identify several new starters on the practice field. Urban Meyer hasn’t bothered trying to downplay the challenge of reloading with a roster that returns just six starters after losing one of the most decorated senior classes in program history along with a staggering nine early entrants to the NFL draft — even going so far as calling this offseason “as critical as he’s ever had” as a coach. The same is almost certainly true for the camp that opens at Ohio State bright and early on Tuesday morning, where the race for open jobs will be heated and a team that certainly still has national-title aspirations will set the foundation for the fall. “That’s the challenge for our coaching staff to be nine [units] strong and develop your guys,” Meyer said last month. “The process has already started. This is a very critical year for development.” The first segment of it and the brutal winter conditioning workouts are behind the Buckeyes now. Next up: Phase 2 on the field. Spring schedule: Ohio State will practice Tuesday and Thursday as part of its re-acclimation period without full pads before taking next week off for spring break. The Buckeyes will then knock out three practices per week leading up to the LiFE Sports Spring Game at 1:30 p.m. …
Continue Reading: Ohio State Buckeyes spring practice preview
