COLUMBUS, Ohio — Fourteen minutes and 32 seconds.
That’s how long it took for Urban Meyer to be asked about his quarterback and arguably the most important player on his roster, J.T. Barrett, following Ohio State’s first practice of the spring on Tuesday.
The inquiry didn’t come from a member of the national media, nor was the answer broadcast to millions of homes or even tweeted to tens of thousands of followers from the relatively small gathering of reporters inside the Woody Hayes Athletic Center team meeting room.
In fact, the fifth-year Buckeyes head coach’s opening spring practice press conference was pretty—for a lack of a better term—boring, in comparison to the three-ring circus that emanated from Columbus just a year ago.
“I was expecting high energy, and that’s what we got. Our whole focus is on four-to-six seconds, point A to B,” Meyer said, repeating one of his signature mantras. “We’ve got a lot of work to do.”
Such is life at Ohio State in 2016, where the TMZ-like atmosphere that surrounded the program 12 months ago and throughout the 2015 season has been replaced by a back-to-basics mentality necessary for a team with 16 open starting spots on its depth chart.
The Buckeyes might be the current national championship favorites according to oddsmakers, but don’t tell that to Meyer, who’s more concerned with a roster already bitten by injuries after just one day of spring practice.
“We have 11 right now—guys that we’re…
Continue Reading: Urban Meyer Prepping Ohio State for an Under-the-Radar Spring
