Practice Observations as Buckeyes hit field for third time in camp

COLUMBUS — The Ohio State theme for the first week of training camp: More.

More bodies thanks to the rule that allowed everybody to have an extra year of eligibility. More rotation and more snaps as the Buckeyes evaluate that deeper roster and sort through position battles. More effort as the coaching staff continuously stresses the need to go “plus two” and give the maximum amount of intensity on every rep.

There is obviously a long way to go for the Buckeyes after completing just the third practice of training camp on Friday morning. But they are wasting no time ramping up the energy with an eye on starting defense of the Big Ten title at Minnesota in less than a month.

“The good news is because we have 117 guys in camp because of the super-senior situation, that’s the most we’ve ever had,” Ohio State coach Ryan Day said on Wednesday. “We’re actually able to go with three [units] and get a lot more reps — even after practice there is some extra work for some of the younger guys as the older guys go in. So, I’ll have to count the total reps that we had, but I want to say we were north of 100 reps — there’s a lot of them to go around.

“This team needs it. … The more reps we can get this summer, the stronger they’ll get.”

Urgency for the Buckeyes is nothing new at this time of year, of course, but it’s unmistakable for Day’s program at the moment after it graciously provided another open-viewing period to the media on Friday morning. Lettermen Row is diving into a few more lessons learned from that glimpse at Ohio State’s progress with some Practice Observations.

Kyle McCord flashing impressive arm strength for Ohio State

The odds-on favorite to be the starting quarterback for the Buckeyes hasn’t changed. But if the race gets tighter, the powerful arm strength of Kyle McCord figures to be a factor. The true freshman was already turning heads during spring practice with his ability to unleash deep shots down the field, including his bomb to start the closing scrimmage in the Horseshoe in April. But even on intermediate and shorter throws, the football seems to explode out of his hand and arrives on a line — in a hurry. C.J. Stroud remains at the head of the line for the Buckeyes and appears to have the complete package as well, but McCord is certainly not backing down from the challenge.

Javontae Jean-Baptiste transformation looks complete for Buckeyes

Ohio State always saw the potential to turn a skinny, long linebacker into a ferocious pass rusher, even if it wasn’t always apparent from the outside. The long-term project appears to be near completion now, and Javontae Jean-Baptiste looks poised to pay the Buckeyes back for that faith in a major way. The redshirt junior is up to 255 pounds on his 6-foot-5 frame, and that appears to be all muscle after another productive offseason working with strength coach Mickey Marotti. With Tyreke Smith and Zach Harrison splitting reps on one side of the line during the early periods of practice, Jean-Baptiste was first in line on the other edge and looking confident in every drill. With the Rushmen depth taking a hit with Tyler Friday out indefinitely, Jean-Baptiste seems poised for a major role.

Marcus Crowley moving quickly, confidently for Buckeyes

The realization set in during the national championship game for Marcus Crowley: He still wasn’t all the way back despite all the progress he had made recovering from a long-term knee issue. The ability to cut and the willingness to unleash his speed were hampered by lingering doubts in the back of his mind about his health, and he admitted as much on the sideline to position coach Tony Alford. Even during spring camp, Crowley was still regaining that confidence in himself — though he seems to have it now. He’s been working as the third guy through the rotation during open viewing periods for the Buckeyes, but he flashed some of the ability he showed as a breakout freshman with a nice mini-field carry where he raced to the edge and slashed his way downfield. As Ohio State weighs its options in the backfield, Crowley is certainly an option to help boost the rushing attack.

Cameron Brown delivers lockdown coverage for Ohio State

The Buckeyes need Cameron Brown more in September than they do during the first week of training camp, so the coaching staff will take it slow with a “pitch count” of reps for the veteran as he returns from last year’s Achille injury. Brown certainly looked back to full speed and in the kind of form that had him in the rotation two years ago with a pair of pass breakups during the mini-field session — batting throws down on consecutive reps that had Kerry Coombs and the defensive sideline cheering loudly. The spotlight may shine on Sevyn Banks as the top returner at cornerback, but a healthy Brown also has a chance to be an NFL-caliber, lockdown defender for the Buckeyes.