COLUMBUS, Ohio — Well-rested after having returned from spring break, Ohio State hit the practice field at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center last week for its second official week of spring practice.
And it didn't take long for the Buckeyes to find themselves back in the headlines.
It may be the college football offseason, but rivalries don't tend to get much sleep. That rings especially true in Columbus when it comes to the eternal feud between Ohio State and Michigan.
But even without the unexpected tweaking from both sides that take part in The Game, there was actual football news that pertained to the Buckeyes this past week as well. This offseason may not be as loud for Ohio State as it was a year ago, but in some ways, that makes this spring practice all the more intriguing for the Buckeyes.
With that in mind, here's a look at the news and notes that came from the Buckeyes' second official week of the spring practice season.
War of Words
A week after telling WUFT-TV in Gainesville that he was intrigued by the idea of holding spring practice in Florida—as Jim Harbaugh and Michigan have this offseason—Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer didn't sound so sure about the matter upon returning to Columbus. Asked by Bleacher Report to expand on his comments, the Buckeyes head coach distanced himself from the idea and stated he was merely answering a question posed by a reporter at Tim Tebow's charity golf outing.
"Someone asked me a question, 'Would we look into it?' We’re looking into everything," Meyer said. "I can't see taking spring break away from players. That doesn't mean we won’t research and keep our eye on it."
That would have sufficed as a story in and of itself, as Meyer certainly sounded less sure of potentially taking spring practice to the Sunshine State than he did a week prior. Doing so would have created a potential storm across college football, as Harbaugh finds himself engulfed in a battle with the SEC over his unique offseason practice.
But as it turned out, that day's news cycle was just getting started.
Asked mere hours later about the idea of holding an off-campus spring practice—which would require an overlapping with the players' spring break—Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith weighed in with a stronger stance. Comparing the Buckeyes' current status in the college football world to the Wolverines', Smith caused an unintentional stir with his thoughts on the matter.
"I wouldn't do that," Smith said. "I wouldn't support taking that time away from our student-athletes. Is it creative? Does it help from a recruiting and marketing point of view? I get it. If we were jump-starting our program, I'd probably try to do that, too. But we're not jump-starting our program. We're in a different place."
To the surprise of no one, that jab—intentional or not—didn't sit well with Harbaugh, who took to Twitter to reference Smith's involvement in Ohio State's 2011 "Tatgate" controversy:
The following morning, Smith took to his own account to apologize for his comments. Over the weekend, Harbaugh explained his actions and why he opted to take the personal jab at the Buckeyes AD.
"I felt like one got shot over our bow," Harbaugh told reporters, per the Michigan Insider.
He continued:
It wasn't a knee jerk reaction. We waited a good eight nine hours. We figured they might consider that being construed a certain way toward our program. Actually some of the scribes and pundits were construing it that way. So when no explanation came, I thought it was time to fire one over their bow. I consider things even right now.
While Harbaugh was adamant he wouldn't consider his latest Twitter beef a "competition," it sure made for interesting fodder during a typically quiet period of the college football calendar. It wasn't his first—and it likely won't be his last—verbal scuffle, and if Harbaugh ever again finds himself in a war of words with his rival, you can best believe it will once again cause headlines.
Grin and Barrett
Of all the reasons why Ohio State's spring practice seems quieter this offseason than it did during the last, perhaps the biggest is that there's no quarterback competition taking place in Columbus.
With Cardale Jones and Braxton Miller headed to the NFL, J.T. Barrett—for the first time ever during a spring in his college career—knows that he's the Buckeyes' QB1, and that sense of certainty has been beneficial for not just Barrett, but the entire OSU locker room.
"That's why we named him captain immediately after the season, because his value is so much more than running and throwing," Meyer said of the redshirt junior quarterback. "His value is as one of the best leaders we've ever had."
On an offense replacing eight starters, the consistency Barrett provides has allowed the Buckeyes offense to continue its growth under Meyer, despite so many new and inexperienced pieces being shuffled in and out of the lineup. That process has also been aided by the return of senior center and fellow captain Pat Elflein, whom Meyer has similarly praised of his presence this offseason.
"It's probably unfair to say we'd have 'no shot,'" Meyer said of the value of returning experienced contributors like Barrett and Elflein. "But if you're replacing [quarterback] and center, it's fair to say 'no shot.'"
With three weeks remaining until Ohio State's spring game, Barrett still has plenty of time to get the most out of the start of his first full offseason as the Buckeyes' established starter. Even then, he knows his job is just getting started, as he'll play an even more critical role in Ohio State's post-spring offseason conditioning program.
"The focus is always trying to get better, developing skills, working on my craft," Barrett said of his spring goals. "Then personally, as the leader of this team, how can I bring the young guys to the level where I'm at?"
Counting on Curtis
With so many reps available at so many positions in the Ohio State offense, this spring is a crucial one for the development of a relatively young Buckeyes roster.
But for all the players running around on the field this offseason, perhaps the player Ohio State is counting on most isn't currently capable of running through an entire practice.
After suffering a broken bone in his foot late last season, H-back Curtis Samuel proceeded to play in the Buckeyes' final three games of the year, but offseason surgery has limited his availability for the ensuing spring practice session.
Counted on to fill the voids left by both running back Ezekiel Elliott and wide receivers like Miller, Michael Thomas and Jalin Marshall, this spring is a minor setback for the 5'11", 200-pounder, who believes he'll ultimately be better after his offseason recovery.
"It's definitely going to help me out because last year I had been running around with a messed-up foot, and it just had been bothering me," Samuel said. "I felt like I couldn’t come out of my breaks, I couldn't cut as well as I wanted to. I was running fast, but it was just the pain, it was still there. I feel like I'm going to be much better now, and I'm ready for it."
While Samuel primarily played receiver a year ago, Meyer confirmed last week that both the junior from Brooklyn, New York, and senior Dontre Wilson will share reps with Bri'onte Dunn and Michael Weber out of the Buckeyes backfield. Samuel is of that mindset as well, saying he's looking forward to playing the "Percy Harvin role" in the Ohio State offense Miller occupied a year ago.
"I'm gonna do both when I come back," Samuel said. "I'm not going to limit myself by just going to running back or just playing receiver. I'll be doing both."
So while there's plenty to be excited about in Columbus this spring, it's worth noting that some of the Buckeyes' most important players aren't even currently practicing. All indications are that you can put Samuel at the top of that list, as he could ultimately be the player who stands to benefit most from the abundance of available touches in the OSU offense this fall.
"You haven't seen much yet," Samuel said. "You're just gonna have to wait."
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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