Ohio State is back at football practice this week. The first of 15 spring practices are to be held on Tuesday at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center.
As the Buckeyes prepare for next season, here is a closer look previewing both sides of the ball, starting on offense with the top storylines, most intriguing players, position battle to watch, freshman to follow and breakout candidate.
Former Oregon and UCLA head coach Chip Kelly is Ohio State’s new offensive coordinator.
Top storylines
How will Chip Kelly reshape the Ohio State offense?
Ryan Day has long drawn influence from Kelly.
It was a quarter century ago when Day was a quarterback at New Hampshire while Kelly was the offensive coordinator.
Day later served as the quarterbacks coach for Kelly in the NFL with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2015 and San Francisco 49ers in 2016.
That is to say that the spread offense the Buckeyes have run in recent seasons is already rooted in ideas developed by Day’s mentor.
Kelly is Ohio State’s offensive coordinator after he was hired last month to replace Bill O’Brien.
The arrival is unlikely to bring an overhaul to the system, but it figures to add needed wrinkles. The 30.5 points the Buckeyes averaged last fall were their fewest in a season since 2011.
The practices over the next month should offer early clues for how things might evolve with Kelly.
More: Q&A: Pac-12 Networks’ Nick Aliotti on Chip Kelly, tempo and his innovative offenses
Devin Brown will compete with transfer Will Howard for Ohio State’s starting quarterback job.
Can Devin Brown make another push to start at quarterback?
Devin Brown nipped at the heels of Kyle McCord in a tight battle last year that continued into September.
While McCord has since left Ohio State, transferring to Syracuse in December, the staff found a potential replacement, bringing in Will Howard as a…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/ohio-state-football-spring-practice-110059795.html
Author : The Columbus Dispatch
Publish date : 2024-03-04 11:00:59
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