Jul. 31—COLUMBUS — Ohio State opens preseason practice Thursday morning in what Buckeye fans hope will be a 2024 season to remember.
When the Buckeyes take the field for the first time as a full squad since ending last season with a thud against Missouri in the Cotton Bowl, some fans will even be on hand to get a first look along with members of the media.
Here are five things they can expect to see:
1. Five quarterbacks
For the second year in a row, the marquee battle of the preseason will be at quarterback.
Last year, Kyle McCord entered the preseason thought to be the favorite over Devin Brown, who pushed the battle into the season but ultimately wasn’t able to win the job.
McCord is gone, but Brown is back — and still viewed as more likely to be the No. 2 quarterback than the starter when the Buckeyes kick off the season Aug. 31 against Akron.
This time the favorite is Will Howard, a senior who transferred to Ohio State after starting more than 20 games at Kansas State. Both have similar skill sets — big, strong athletes with adequate arms — so Howard’s experience might ultimately be the difference.
Also in the mix will be redshirt freshman Lincoln Kienholz and true freshmen Julian Sayin and Air Noland.
Whoever wins the job, head coach Ryan Day has said repeatedly he expects his quarterbacks to be a bigger part of the running game this fall.
2. New linebackers
Ohio State will have new starters at the second level of the defense, but who will it be in the starting lineup? And how many?
Cody Simon is penciled in at middle linebacker after backing up both interior spots last season, but athletic juniors C.J. Hicks and Sonny Styles are expected to battle for the other starting spot.
Then again, defensive coordinator Jim Knowles might opt to play both and use more 4-3 alignments as opposed to the 4-2-5 look that has…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/ohio-state-football-5-things-141400424.html
Author : Journal-News, Hamilton, Ohio
Publish date : 2024-07-31 14:14:00
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