COLUMBUS, Ohio — One week after revealing that his team hardly looked like a defending national champion, Urban Meyer admitted that spring practice hadn't gotten much better for Ohio State at the start of its third week.
There's plenty of excuses built in for the Buckeyes, who admittedly are resting many of their key players after a 15-game season that came to an end just three months ago. Each spring is different for each team, and for Ohio State, this year is about getting back to full strength and giving younger players reps more than it is about looking like the first-ever College Football Playoff champion.
"Nine or 10 offensive linemen that will be here in August aren't here right now," Meyer said of the Buckeyes' depleted depth chart last Tuesday. "That's obviously a big influx of people. If you want to have a bad practice, have a bad offensive line."
But while Ohio State's practices may not have run smoothly, that hasn't stopped key performers from stepping to the forefront with their individual performances. Spring practice may not be perfect in Columbus, but there still is plenty of optimism as the Buckeyes hit the midway point of their spring session.
Samuel Shining
In Ohio State's two spring practices that have been open to the media this year, perhaps the biggest non-quarterback takeaway has been the positioning of Curtis Samuel. Rather than lining up at running back, where he played throughout his freshman season, the sophomore-to-be could be found at wide receiver, playing the same slot position Jalin Marshall and Dontre Wilson occupied a year ago.
As Meyer explained, Samuel's move was made with the intent of giving him a starring role in the OSU offense.
"We're taking a look at Curtis Samuel as a receiver/H-back/running back," Meyer revealed. "He's a guy that we've ID'd as a top-five playmaker right now in our program. The days of Curtis Samuel playing 10 plays are over. It's our job to get him on the field for 40 or 50 plays."
That wouldn't have been possible at running back, where Heisman Trophy front-runner Ezekiel Elliott will reclaim his starting role in the fall after sitting out the spring due to wrist surgery. That's why the fourth-year Buckeyes head coach is already preparing Samuel, who rushed for 383 yards and six touchdowns in 2014, to play alongside and not behind Ohio State's star running back.
"With Zeke coming back healthy, to see him stand on the sideline and watch Zeke play a bunch is not right," Meyer said. "[Samuel]'s a really good one."
As for where Elliott and Samuel each fall on Meyer's list of playmakers, right now the pecking order is clear. But that won't stop Samuel from getting opportunities, as the Brooklyn, New York, native appears poised for a breakout year.
"Obviously Zeke Elliott's way high on the list, but Curtis Samuel is not far behind," Meyer said. "So we have to find ways to get him the ball in his hands."
Dunn Doing Work
With Samuel moving to the H-Back/'Pivot' position and Elliott recuperating on the sideline, the door has been opened up for Bri'onte Dunn to receive first-team reps at running back with the Buckeyes offense. A former 4-star prospect, Dunn has done little in the first three years of his college career, accumulating just 196 rushing yards and two touchdowns while being buried on the OSU depth chart.
According to Meyer, the Canton, Ohio, native has turned a corner this spring, however, and appears to be making the most of his opportunity. The redshirt junior won't be able to jump Elliott on the depth chart, but he could provide valuable carries this fall if he continues on his current pace.
“Bri’onte Dunn has a little momentum going on in his world right now," Meyer said. "That started with his special teams contributions last year. By the end of the year, he was outstanding. He floated around here for a couple of years and did nothing—and I mean nothing. We’re getting good progress reports in the classroom."
On the field, Dunn is getting rave reviews too, as the 6'0", 216-pounder receives the most playing time that he has in his college career. Just as he shone on special teams, the former blue chip prospect has taken pride in doing the little things on offense, in addition to carrying the ball.
“The biggest thing a player has to prove is on offense, you’ve got to make plays,” Dunn said. “And you’ve got to be able to block. So that’s what I’ve been working on.”
Whether Dunn's positive momentum in the spring carries over into the fall remains to be seen. But adding another viable running back to the backfield would certainly be big for the Buckeyes as they embark on their national title defense.
Success in the Secondary
After instability on defense cost Ohio State a chance to play for the national championship in 2013, Meyer knew his unit was in need of an overhaul.
Enter Chris Ash, who took over as the Buckeyes defensive coordinator and oversaw an overhaul to the way Ohio State approached its pass defense. Rather than working from the front and going back, Ash implemented a back-to-front system that was reminiscent of the Seattle Seahawks' approach in the NFL.
The results spoke for themselves, as the Buckeyes not only greatly improved their pass defense, but their tackling as well. But despite the success that the OSU secondary enjoyed last season, Ash isn't satisfied, as he looks to pick up where he left off this spring.
"We didn't play to our full potential all of the time. We made some plays, we did some good things but we really want to go another level," Ash said. "That is really the challenge, as soon as we were done with that championship game the mind was, 'How do we do that? How do we get better? How do we enhance it?, what do we have to do?' I think we have been working on that hard."
The Buckeyes have benefited from the return of starting safeties Vonn Bell and Tyvis Powell, although Ash noted that he would like to see the latter improve his tackling. The Ohio State staff is also high on hard-hitting sophomore Erick Smith, who stood out as a freshman on special teams a year ago.
While the Buckeyes defense did enough to help win a national title a year ago, it will be interesting to see what Ohio State is capable of with a truly dominant unit. That's the goal for Ash, who has already left his mark on the Buckeyes program but isn't ready to rest on his laurels just yet.
"The whole unit, in my mind, is working hard every single day," Ash said. "They have shown up to try and get better. They really have bought into the culture that we are trying to have in the room and that has been great."
Extra Points
- As the battle between Cardale Jones and J.T. Barrett at quarterback rages on, Meyer said he wouldn't rule out running a two-quarterback system.
- As for the situation involving Braxton Miller endorsing the health supplement line AdvoCare on his Instagram account, Meyer does not anticipate any major issues coming from the NCAA. A secondary violation, which wouldn't affect Miller's eligibility, is possible, if not likely.
- In the race to replace Doran Grant as a starting corner opposite Eli Apple, Ash said Gareon Conley has a lead over sophomore Damon Webb.
- Admitting he's been concerned with the depth on his defensive line, Meyer singled out Joel Hale and Tommy Schutt as players who have stood out this spring.
- Meyer said ideally, he'd like to rotate 10 defensive linemen this fall.
- The Buckeyes starting linebackers appear to be set with Joshua Perry, Darron Lee and Raekwon McMillan.
Ben Axelrod is Bleacher Report's Big Ten Lead Writer. You can follow him on Twitter @BenAxelrod. Unless noted otherwise, all quotes were obtained firsthand. All statistics courtesy of CFBStats.com. Recruiting rankings courtesy of 247Sports.
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