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While spring football is due to start at Ohio State on March 4, Eleven Warriors is examining more and more the composition of the Buckeyes' formation at the beginning of practice.
The four quarters who are going to pitch for Ohio State this spring are completely different from those who took competitive reps for the Buckeyes last spring.
Last spring, the Buckeyes played a starting trio between Dwayne Haskins, Joe Burrow and Tate Martell, while free quarter Kory Curtis also went on a few tries.
None of these quarterbacks are still in Ohio State. Haskins declared for the NFL draft in 2019 after a record season as a quarterback to the Buckeyes. Burrow left for LSU as a graduate, after Haskins beat him for the starting position last spring. Martell was transferred to Miami and Curtis was transferred to Bryant this season.
The quarterback line-up of the Buckeyes this spring will be made up of Justin Fields, who was transferred from Georgia to the state of Ohio in January; Matthew Baldwin, who was part of the team last spring but was put away after undergoing a knee surgery; Chris Chugunov, who arrived in the state of Ohio as a graduate of West Virginia since last summer; and Daniel Vanatsky, who joined the Buckeyes last summer.
All will participate in the spring training practices for the first time as Buckeyes when the team returns to the field on March 4, making the next two months crucial for their overall development. .
What we know
The important thing we know is something we did not know if we were going to participate in spring training until a few weeks ago: Fields is eligible to play this season after receiving an NCAA waiver waiver which allows him to play immediately instead of sitting. one year under the transfer rules.
This makes the Buckeyes quarterback competition this spring much easier than it would have been, as they can now move forward knowing that Fields will have the right to play instead of having to prepare for a contingency. that he might not be.
Fields enters the spring as a favorite to win the job. Rookie No. 2 overall in the 2018 promotion, Fields, is one of the most physically gifted quarterbacks in college football. He has both an excellent arm and excellent athleticism for a quarter. In limited action on the Georgia bench last season, Fields completed 27 of his 39 pass attempts for a total of 328 yards and four touchdowns without any interceptions, while totaling 266 yards and four touchdowns in 42 runs.
Baldwin, the 12th quarterback of the 2018 class, also has a big arm and should also see a significant portion of the training reps this spring. He did not see playing time as a real freshman, partly because of the training time he missed due to an injury, but he is the only quarter on the list that is the Ohio State since a full calendar year at this stage.
Even though he's only been at Ohio State for a year, Matthew Baldwin is now the oldest quarterback in the Buckeyes group.
Chugunov, who joined the Buckeyes last August, is the only remaining quarterback to have played in an Ohio State game last season. He participated in the game four times against Rutgers. The fifth-year athlete is also the only quarter of the team to have started at the college level. Chugunov started two games for West Virginia in 2017 after making 43 attempts in 90 pass attempts for 536 yards and three touchdowns with two interceptions. He should be quarterback # 3 on the Buckeyes' depth card.
Vanatsky, a product of Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy, completes this quarter's lineup.
What we do not know
Even though the map of the depths at the position seems to be fairly sharp, Ohio State enters the spring with a lot of unknowns at the quarterback position, not only because the quarterback list of the Buckeyes is completely different from that of last year, but also because they have a new coach quarterbacks to Mike Yurcich, with Ryan Day leading the training.
Given the success of the Haskins and Ohio state offensive under Day's leadership last season, the Buckeyes should not be looking to make huge changes this season. Fields has an athletic level that Haskins does not have, which could make the quarterback game a more important part of the Ohio State offensive. However, we do not know how this could be countered by the retirement of Urban Meyer, who was a staunch supporter of the quarterback's game, and the arrival of Yurcich, whose fouls at Oklahoma State were quite heavy.
Day and Yurcich both said they wanted to adapt the offensive to the forces of their shift.
"As we move forward with our new quarterback, we find out what's best, we'll insist on that," Day said at National Signing Day.
Yurcich said he would not even be sure what it would look like until the Buckeyes get into practice and have the opportunity to evaluate it. his new quarters.
"I think it's very important as a coach when you're trying to develop an offense that you do not necessarily compare one year on the other." I think you can prepare, "Yurcich said. "What we need to do is take this group of guys and see where are our strengths, where are our weaknesses, where can we grow the most and try to become the best offense we can have to maximize our staff . "
The other big question, of course, is whether Fields will really be ready to lead the Ohio State offensive this fall after it arrives on campus in January. Spring will be a crucial moment for Fields to get the Buckeyes Offensive Book and for coaches to assess its strengths and weaknesses, so that they can find a way to adapt the game. offense and what he will need most. work in the autumn camp.
The same questions apply to Baldwin, who will have to be ready to play even if Fields starts. It is important to have a quarterback on the third rope that can play if necessary. Coaches from the state of Ohio will also want to see what Chugunov and Vanatsky can do this spring.
Players to watch
|
No. |
first name |
Ht. |
Weight |
Year |
Hometown (High School) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
4 |
CHRIS CHUGUNOV |
6-1 |
203 |
RS SR |
Skillman, N.J. (Montgomery) |
|
ten |
DANIEL VANATSKY |
6-2 |
195 |
SO |
Cincinnati, Ohio (Christian Academy) |
|
12 |
MATTHEW BALDWIN |
6-3 |
205 |
RS FR |
Austin, Texas (Lake Travis) |
| JUSTIN FIELDS |
6-3 |
225 |
SO |
Kennesaw, Georgia (Harrison) |
This spring, no player from the Ohio State will hold more attention than Fields, who is among the favorites of the first sports bets to win the Heisman Trophy, even if he has never played decisively for his new team . He has the potential to be one of the most exciting players in college football. This spring, he should give a glimpse of what he can bring to the Buckeyes' fault. Its development is crucial for Ohio State championship hopefuls, and with less than eight months to go on campus for the start of the Buckeyes season, every training will be important.
Baldwin will also be among the protagonists this spring, as he tries to qualify for the starting position and offers the opportunity to become a future starter for the Buckeyes even if he does not reach the record of the depths this year. He was commended by his coaches and teammates for his performance on the training ground and in the meeting rooms during his freshman year at Ohio State, but this spring will be an opportunity to really show off what's going on. He can do by taking representatives with the first of the Buckeyes – and the fouls of the second team.
Position the perspectives
Although the Ohio State is hosting a quarterback this fall and it is unlikely that a starter will be named after the spring match, Fields should be the starting quarterback of the Ohio State this season as long as he in good health. This is not a reproach to Baldwin, but a reflection of reality: the State of Ohio did not recruit Fields as a replacement, and although he says that he was not promised anything, he did not would certainly not have chosen to move into the state of Ohio if he was not expecting to be the starter right away.
With the addition of Fields but the departures of Haskins and Martell, Ohio State's quarterback prospects are promising, but the question remains one of the biggest question marks. The potential of Fields is breathtaking, allowing the Buckeyes attack not to miss anything. But he still has not proven himself as a starter, and depth is also a concern.
Baldwin should be ready to take the No. 2 quarterback position now that he has been on campus for a year, but he has never attended a live college match. And although Chugunov's experience makes him a good choice for depth of urgency, the Buckeyes certainly do not seem in a position to be like in 2014, when quarterback Cardale Jones led them to a national championship .
Day said he would like to have four quarters of fellows on his lineup, but Buckeyes' lack of optimal depth at the post is understandable; At a time when replacing backup shifts to become starters have become commonplace, it will be increasingly difficult for teams to maintain a high number of points at the quarterback position. The lack of depth and experience of the post in the Ohio State makes this spring an important spring for all the quarterbacks of the training.
Depth chart projected
1. Justin Fields
2. Matthew Baldwin
3. Chris Chugunov
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