<p><i>Good morning, Ohio State fans, and welcome to the Scarlet Sunrise! Football will always be our focus, but every day weâ€™ll cover news, notes and analysis from across Buckeyes sports. Join us each morning to get caught up on everything you missed in the world of Ohio State football, recruiting, basketball and more.Â </i></p>
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<h2>Observations from the first practice of spring for the Buckeyes</h2>
<p>Ryan Day strolled around the field, monitoring the entire field just like the old boss at Ohio State used to do.</p>
<p>His first spring practice leading the Buckeyes was underway, and it was clear from the start that he was no longer a coordinator as he gathered up the team and gave a quick speech to open the festivities.</p>
<p>There is a long way to go at Ohio State just this spring with 14 more workouts ahead of it just this month and in April. And even by the end of this stretch, Day isnâ€™t likely to have a finished product on his hands with the two-time defending Big Ten champions.</p>
<p>But every season starts somewhere. And Lettermen Row senior writer Austin Ward watched the first hour of camp on Wednesday morning and came away with <a href="https://lettermenrow.com/ohio-state-football/ohio-state-ryan-day-buckeyes-football-first-practice/">these observations.</a></p>
<p>You can also watch Ryan Day evaluate the first day of spring practice <a href="https://lettermenrow.com/ohio-state-football/watch-ryan-day-opens-ohio-state-spring-practice/">right here</a>.</p>
<h2>Tim May joins Lettermen Live</h2>
<p>This week on Lettermen Live presented by Byers Auto, former Columbus Dispatch and legendary Ohio State beat writer Tim May joins Austin Ward and Birm to look back at theÂ <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W4j8DKVeVfs">first day of spring practice</a>Â for the Buckeyes under coach Ryan Day, and provide a fewÂ <a href="https://lettermenrow.com/ohio-state-football/ohio-state-ryan-day-buckeyes-football-first-practice/">observations</a>Â from the open-practice viewing for the media Wednesday morning. The guys discuss the likely quarterback battle between Justin Fields and Matthew Baldwin, possible solutions to last seasonâ€™s major issues on the defensive side of the ball and so much more.</p>
<p><iframe loading="lazy" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Shs5laWqvHE" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p>
<h2>Jaelen Gill looks like a breakout candidate for the Buckeyes</h2>
<p>The list of guys to keep an eye entering the Woody Hayes Athletic Center on Wednesday morning didnâ€™t necessarily have Jaelen Gill listed prominently. But bursts of electric athleticism are hard to miss, so the redshirt freshman made sure that he couldnâ€™t be ignored as Ohio State openedÂ <a href="https://lettermenrow.com/ohio-state-football/ohio-state-buckeyes-football-spring-practice-predictions/">spring camp</a>.</p>
<p>The usual caveats apply here, and itâ€™s always worth the reminder that one hour of practice without full pads on must be taken with aÂ <a href="https://lettermenrow.com/ohio-state-football/ohio-state-ryan-day-buckeyes-football-first-practice/">grain of salt</a>. But itâ€™s also true that few players did anything as memorable as snag a one-handed catch with a defender on his back or show the kind of burst at the line of scrimmage that Gill did during a head-to-head drill against an overmatched safety, and that should count for something. Itâ€™s too early to pronounce him as a surefire solution at H-back as Ohio State tries to replace Parris Campbell, but his potential certainly puts Gill in that conversation.</p>
<p>Lettermen Row senior writer Austin Ward details how the redshirt freshman is making strides already, and how there are still 14 more workouts ahead of him this spring and then all of training camp in August for him to prove that heâ€™s ready to make the <a href="https://lettermenrow.com/ohio-state-football/jaelen-gill-ohio-state-buckeyes-football-spring-breakout/">second-year leap for Ohio State.</a></p>
<h2>J.J. McCarthy ready for next visit, Ohio DB on theÂ rise</h2>
<p>Ohio State will host quarterback J.J. McCarthy in late March for what could be a pivotal visit for the 2021Â quarterback from Nazareth Academy (La Grange Park, Ill.).</p>
<p>â€œI canâ€™t wait to visit Columbus in a couple of weeks,â€ McCarthy told Lettermen Row. â€œWeâ€™ll be there on Friday night [March 22] and Saturday. My entire family is coming with me unless my sister has cheer.â€</p>
<p>McCarthy isnâ€™t currently ranked on the 247Sports.com composite rankings because most sophomores arenâ€™t ranked yet. But heâ€™s approaching 25 early offers including Michigan, Northwestern, Wisconsin, Penn State and Ohio State. Heâ€™s still waiting on a potential offer from Notre Dame, but as buzz about a possible Irish commitment from top-50 prospectÂ <a href="https://247sports.com/Player/Tyler-Buchner-46047388/">Tyler Buchner</a>Â gets louder, itâ€™s worth wondering if the Buckeyes could find themselves very comfortably in the driverâ€™s seat for the 6-foot-2, 180-pound McCarthy.</p>
<p>Lettermen Row director of recruiting Jeremy Birmingham provides more on McCarthy and a full recruiting update in <a href="https://lettermenrow.com/ohio-state-football-recruiting/ohio-state-buckeyes-recruiting-jj-mccarthy-drake-maye-carrington-valentine/">Wednesday’s edition of Dotting the ‘Eyes.</a></p>
<h2>Without Kaleb Wesson, Ohio State just isn’t Big Dance worthy</h2>
<p>Add another ugly blemish to the resumÃ© for Ohio State.</p>
<p>And maybe the Buckeyes might have a reason to start really worrying about an NCAA Tournament bid that a week looked like it had been sewn up.</p>
<p>Clearly coach Chris Holtmannâ€™s team isnâ€™t the sameÂ <a href="https://lettermenrow.com/ohio-state-basketball/ohio-state-jaedon-ledee-buckeyes-basketball-ncaa-tournament/">without</a>Â Kaleb Wesson, and heâ€™s now got consecutive road losses in the Big Ten that were equally damaging with the sophomore suspended â€” even if the margin of defeat wasnâ€™tÂ <a href="https://lettermenrow.com/ohio-state-basketball/ohio-state-short-handed-buckeyes-throttled-at-purdue/">nearly as severe</a>Â in the 68-50 defeat at Northwestern.</p>
<p>With the Wildcats mired in the conference cellar, the latest loss for the Buckeyes figures to be a much bigger problem come Selection Sunday now that there is only one regular season game and the conference tournament left on the schedule. Ohio State has another chance to bolster its case against Wisconsin, of course, but all the momentum is gone and the bubble could be about to burst.</p>
<p>What else was there to take away from that setback for Ohio State on Wednesday night? Lettermen Row senior writer Austin Ward is breaking it down with <a href="https://lettermenrow.com/ohio-state-basketball/ohio-state-buckeyes-basketball-loss-northwestern-wildcats/">Three Points.</a></p>
<h2><strong>Counting down</strong></h2>
<ul>
<li>Ohio State hoops vs. Wisconsin: 3 days</li>
<li>Oho State spring game: 37 days</li>
</ul>
<h2><strong>Sign up for the Scarlet Sunrise newsletter</strong></h2>
<p>If you enjoy the Scarlet Sunrise posts, please consider having our newsletter delivered to your inbox every weekday morning.Â <a href="https://mailchi.mp/3be5960b8040/scarletsunrise">Click here to sign up</a>!</p>


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Scarlet Sunrise: Ohio State starts spring with strong first practice

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