COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Ohio State football built its 2019 College Football Playoff run on balance — elite talent scattered across the field and covering up any potential weak spots.
The Buckeyes’ lofty 2020 expectations are currently propped up mostly on the right arm and legs of their quarterback. Any team with a quarterback of Justin Fields’ proven capacities immediately becomes a national championship contender.
Our position-by-position spring breakdown begins under center, where Ohio State can rely on a returning star while grooming his successor.
QUARTERBACKS
| Player | Year | 2019 statistics |
|---|---|---|
| Justin Fields | Jr. | 238-354 comp-att, 3,273 yards, 41-3 TD-INT, 137-484 rushing, 10 TDs |
| Gunnar Hoak | Sr. | 6-6 comp-att, 104 yards, 1-0 TD-INT |
| Jack Miller | Fr. | N/A |
| CJ Stroud | Fr. | N/A |
Fields locked in: The Heisman Trophy finalist gave Ohio State everything it needed and more with his 2019 performance. He ranked third nationally in both quarterback rating and touchdown passes while throwing only one interception through the first 13 games.
Last spring, fresh off of his transfer from Georgia, Fields was building a rapport with his teammates and forming a connection with his receivers — in addition to the day-to-day adjustments any student makes in their first weeks on campus.
This spring the first and last parts are settled. Fields can begin forming that connection with a new group of receivers — specifically an incoming freshman group expected to immediately contend for rotation spots.
The Buckeyes need Fields to continue his own development. He took too many sacks in 2019, a problem shared between occasional offensive line breakdowns and his own in-progress pocket awareness. With no J.K. Dobbins lined up with him in the backfield and no obvious replacement for that level of production, Fields;ikely shoulders more of the burden in 2020.
Day said he expects no lingering effects from the left knee injury Fields played through last season.
The battle begins: Gunnar Hoak returns for his second season in the quarterback room. However, Ryan Day has already made it clear the backup quarterback battle will focus on true freshmen Jack Miller and CJ Stroud.
Ohio State may never publicly name one of them the true backup for 2020. It hopes it does not need either of them to win a game next season. The real battle sets up for 2021 and beyond, when one of them likely succeeds Fields as the full-time starter.
This spring may not tell us much — if anything at all — about how that competition will ultimately resolve.
Setting the foundation: Corey Dennis enters his first spring as a full-time assistant, having replaced Mike Yurcich as quarterback coach.
Day will always have a presence in the quarterback room, which is one reason why he felt comfortable promoting a quality control coach to lead a position group. Dennis probably needs to grow into this job a bit, and as important as the quarterback position is, it is also the one position at Ohio State right now where that dynamic might not be a hinderance.
However, Dennis must oversee the crucial development mentioned above. Miller and Stroud represent the future of the position for Ohio State. They, and Dennis, are setting the foundation for that future right now.
Everyone involved has acknowledged the awkward reality of two freshmen coming in to compete against each other. Both quarterbacks are saying the right things about handling that situation. It’s an ongoing project, and one that will frame the first impressions of Dennis’ performance.
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