Five storylines to watch ahead of Ohio State football spring game

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There is an expectation that comes with Ohio State football, and it goes beyond notching double-digit wins or finishing with a top-five ranking.

The Buckeyes have established themselves as one of the top programs throughout the sport, and with that comes consistent national title aspirations. With a roster loaded with talent across the board and a chip on the shoulder after falling to rival Michigan the past two seasons, expectations are sky-high once again in Columbus heading into the 2023 college football season.

Ryan Day’s Ohio State team is set to put a bow on spring practice Saturday with the annual spring game scrimmage, which will take place at noon ET Saturday at Ohio Stadium. The game will serve as a barometer of where things stand as the Buckeyes prepare to open the 2023 season Sept. 2 against Big Ten foe Indiana.

Ohio State finished 11-2 last season with both defeats coming at the end of the campaign, first a 45-23 loss to the Wolverines in the team’s regular-season finale, and then a hard-fought 42-41 defeat to eventual national championship Georgia in the College Football Playoff semifinals.

With two-time Heisman finalist C.J. Stroud off to the NFL, all eyes will be on the quarterback battle between Kyle McCord and Devin Brown. But that is just one of several storylines fans will want to keep an eye on throughout the offseason.

Here are the top five storylines to watch when the Buckeyes take the field for Saturday’s spring game.

1. The QB battle: Kyle McCord vs. Devin Brown

The biggest storyline of Ohio State’s spring football practices and game is the replacement of Stroud and who will take over under center for the soon-to-be first-round draft pick. McCord has the experience factor on his side as the former five-star signal-caller served as Stroud’s primary backup last season, completing 16 of 20 passes for 190 yards and a touchdown. He also has experience throwing to ex-high school teammate Marvin Harrison Jr., who is arguably the top wide receiver in the country.

Unfortunately for Ohio State fans looking to get a glimpse of Brown on Saturday, the talented redshirt freshman from Utah will miss the spring game after undergoing a procedure on a finger on his throwing hand. Day has said that he expects Brown to begin throwing again “real soon.”

With a strong showing Saturday, McCord could establish himself as an early leader in the competition, but it’s unlikely Day will name a starter ahead of the summer.

2. Brian Hartline calling plays

After serving as OSU’s wide receivers coach and passing game coordinator, Hartline was promoted to offensive coordinator this past January. The former Buckeye wide receiver replaces Kevin Wilson, who departed to take the head coaching job at Tulsa.

Hartline is expected to call the offensive plays on Saturday, but it will be interesting to see how much Day is involved in the process. There is still some unclarity surrounding play-calling duties and what that will look like in the fall. The Buckeyes have led the Big Ten in total offense and ranked in the top 10 nationally every season Hartline has been on the coaching staff. The program ranked ninth nationally in total offense in 2022, putting up 490.7 yards per game.

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3. How good are the incoming freshmen?

Ohio State had 12 freshmen enroll early ahead of the team’s 2023 spring practices, including a trio of highly touted wide receivers in Noah Rodgers, Carnell Tate and Bryson Rodgers. All three are talented four-star prospects, while Rogers and Tate are ranked among the top 10 wide receiver prospects in the 2023 class.

Another talented pass-catcher for fans to keep an eye on is four-star tight end Jelani Thurman out of Fairburn, Georgia. The 6-foot-5, 230-pound Thurman is a mismatch nightmare for opposing defenses and could see the field early and often for the Buckeyes. He was the No. 3 ranked tight end prospect in the 2023 class and could be a valuable piece for an offense that doesn’t have a lot of proven depth at the TE position behind returning starter Cade Stover.

The top-ranked prospect and lone five-star recruit in the Buckeyes’ 2023 recruiting cycle, wide receiver Brandon Inniss, will not participate in the spring game and is scheduled to arrive on campus in the summer.

4. The offensive line

While quarterback and wide receiver will likely be the most “watched” position groups on Saturday, OSU’s offensive line might be the most “important” position group to keeps tabs on this spring, and that is because the team must replace three starters from last year’s group, including both offensive tackles.

Josh Fryar has emerged the leader to start at one of the open tackle spots, but the other starting spot appears to be far from settled. Zen Michalski and Tegra Tshabola have both been working at right tackle throughout spring practice, and it will be interesting to see if one of them can separate themselves in Saturday’s spring game.

The fact that OSU will be working in a new quarterback and looking to improve a run game that ranked outside the top 30 nationally in rushing last season makes this group that much more important and vital to the team’s success in 2023.

5. How disruptive will be the pass rush be?

The defensive end duo of J.T. Tuimoloau and Jack Sawyer arrived at Ohio State in 2021 with massive expectations. Now set to enter their third year in the program, the pair of five-star edge rushers have been given the reins at defensive end and are expected to wreak havoc on opposing Big Ten quarterbacks in 2023.

Tuimoloau and Sawyer combined for 52 tackles and eight sacks in 2022, but those numbers are expected to skyrocket this upcoming season. Tuimoloau had one of the greatest defensive performances in program history last season, recording two interceptions, two sacks, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery in a 44-31 win over Penn State back on Oct. 29. In doing so, he became the first player to accomplish such a stat line in an FBS game in the 21st century.

Ohio State has had plenty of standout pass rushers over the past decade, including the likes of Joey Bosa, Nick Bosa and Chase Young. It’s possible Tuimoloau and Sawyer could be next in line to join that list of Buckeye greats.