Spring Practice Insider: Buckeyes Back At It For Day Two

COLUMBUS — The Buckeyes were back on practice field Thursday morning for their second practice of spring camp. This will be the final practice for 12 days as the University heads to spring break next week. Ohio State will be back at it for practice No. 3 on Tuesday, March 21.

Once again the media was permitted to watch and film the first four periods of practice, which generally involves stretching, special teams, and individual drills. As was the case on Tuesday, the early stretching portion also featured some winner-loser battles, this time split into offense vs. defense. And after failing to win any of those battles, the defense was chided over the microphone with a “Nice job, defense.”

Emptying The Notebook

+ During the early portion while the Buckeyes were working on punting, senior safety Lathan Ransom was standing next to transfer safety Ja’Had Carter, and Ransom could be seen explaining some of the nuances of what the Buckeyes were doing.

+ Speaking of punting, backup place-kicker Jake Seibert has been working as the No. 2 punter this spring behind Jesse Mirco.

+ The punt returners were the same as the first practice. Yes, Marvin Harrison was there again. No, you shouldn’t expect him to be the Buckeyes’ primary punt returner in the fall.

+ The punt gunners repped this way: senior safety Josh Proctor and freshman receiver Noah Rogers, then redshirt freshman receiver Kyion Grayes and redshirt sophomore receiver Jayden Ballard, then redshirt freshman Kojo Antwi and sophomore safety Kye Stokes.

+ Redshirt sophomore Mike Hall is looking quicker than ever. He is leaner, faster, and was moving side-to-side in a manner that isn’t normal. Granted, the side-to-side isn’t going to be as important as simply moving forward during live action, but his agility is eye-catching.

+ The safeties will be one of the most-watched position groups this spring. For the second practice in a row, the first unit was Lathan Ransom, Josh Proctor, and Cameron Martinez. Not being able to see how they were actually used defensively, the expectation is that Ransom is at free safety, Proctor is at strong safety, and Martinez is at the nickel. The second unit was Kye Stokes, Sonny Styles, and Ja’Had Carter.

+ Only getting to watch quarterbacks Kyle McCord and Devin Brown in drills against no rush and no coverage, both looked good, as expected. Throws were accurate and on time. Receivers weren’t having to stop and wait.

+ Middle linebacker Tommy Eichenberg is out this spring, but could be seen jogging around the field. That’s typical for players who aren’t permitted to practice.