Practice Observations as Buckeyes open training camp with energy

COLUMBUS — The Ohio State offseason is officially over.

And the Buckeyes clearly couldn’t wait to get back on the practice field, heading out to the Woody Hayes Athletic Center just as soon as there was enough daylight to start the journey.

The music was again blaring. Third-year Ohio State coach Ryan Day gathered up the entire roster for an early pep talk to set the table for a busy month of workouts. And even without pads, the energy and urgency for the four-time defending champions was clear to see as the Buckeyes reported for training camp and the first practice of August.

“Excited to get these guys back out on the field,” Day said on Tuesday. “We certainly have a lot of young players who haven’t played a lot of football, and they’ve had a really good 11 weeks leading up to [Wednesday], and then we have some older guys who need to get game ready in a hurry.

“Excited to get back on our routine and get back to work.”

There is obviously a lot more of it to get done before the Buckeyes kick off the season at Minnesota on Sept. 2, and plenty can change before then as Day evaluates his roster and builds a depth chart. The media got a glimpse at the early returns for Ohio State on Wednesday morning, though, and Lettermen Row came away with a handful of observations from the open-viewing period.

C.J. Stroud still front of line for Buckeyes

The order never changed during spring practice, and it was no surprise that C.J. Stroud was still leading the way for the quarterbacks when training camp opened. The second-year passer is the odds-on favorite to claim the starting job, and his continued presence as the first guy in line whether it’s for stretching or individual drills only reinforces that notion. There weren’t any full-team, live scrimmages to evaluate during the six periods that were open to the media. But Stroud appeared sharp with his passes, confident with the decisions he made during half-field work and looked perhaps even more athletic moving around after a full offseason in the strength program. The Buckeyes are aiming to make a decision by the midway point of camp, and Stroud remains the early frontrunner.

Healthy Kourt Williams can boost Ohio State secondary

Before a training-camp injury derailed what has been an encouraging start to his Ohio State career a year ago, Kourt Williams was at a minimum looking like an instant-addition to the rotation at the secondary — and a potential starter at safety or Bullet. The road back to practice on Wednesday morning wasn’t easy as Williams recovered from an ACL injury, but it looks like he’s got a chance to pick up right where he left off for the Buckeyes. There are plenty of moving parts in the Ohio State secondary as they mix and match personnel, and that was also evident during a couple early drills that included Williams on the field with both Josh Proctor and Lathan Ransom. Defensive coordinator Kerry Coombs has played his plans close to the vest heading into his second year in charge on that side of the ball, but having the full complement of guys available to him will be a huge boost — starting with Williams.

Miyan Williams gets first crack for Buckeyes at tailback

The sample size is small and the order is always subject to change. But at the risk of reading too much into the distribution of reps and carries during six periods of practice, the fact that Miyan Williams was leading the running back unit felt significant for the Buckeyes. The battle in the backfield is one of the most fascinating, competitive ones on the roster, and position coach Tony Alford isn’t short on options this season. Williams flashed at the end of his freshman season before COVID knocked him out of the title game, and his strong spring and summer had him ahead of returning veteran Master Teague in line with Marcus Crowley and freshman TreVeyon Henderson following behind. Despite his experience and leadership, the indications are there that Ohio State will be looking for a youth movement in the starting lineup even with Teague getting fully healthy again.

No big surprises on Ohio State offensive line

The lineup may not be completely locked, but there wasn’t much movement up front from what was projected for the Ohio State offensive line — and that unit could be settled relatively quickly. Fully healthy after offseason shoulder surgery, Harry Miller led the way at center for the Buckeyes. Thayer Munford and Nicholas Petit-Frere were in their customary tackle spots, with touted sophomore Paris Johnson at right guard and impressing physically after getting a normal offseason in the weight room. Josh Fryar got the first shot to claim the vacancy at left guard, a carryover from his productive spring as he emerged as a viable option for the Buckeyes. Ohio State has plenty of depth on hand, but it might be able to narrow the focus and build chemistry up front relatively early in camp.

Steele Chambers starts camp at linebacker

The decision was left up to Steele Chambers, and Ohio State was open to the idea of the versatile athlete playing on either side of the ball. But the more pressing need was clearly at linebacker, and there has never been any question dating back to his high school career that Chambers had the potential to blossom into an All-Big Ten-caliber tackler for the Buckeyes. After a spring sticking on offense and a summer of toying with the idea, it looks for now like the decision has been made and Chambers is ready for the transition with the Silver Bullets.