Ohio State fall practice will kick off on Monday, August 10. The Buckeyes are once again loaded with talent, and have been picked by many to hoist the national championship trophy for a second consecutive year. Players will report to
campus on Sunday, August 9 before starting practice the next day.

2015 Ohio State Fall Practice Schedule

• Sunday, August 9 – Players report
• Monday, August 10 – First practice

Five Things To Watch For

1.  The quarterback
battle during fall practice will be the most followed story line in the nation. With Braxton Miller making the switch to wide receiver, the competition is down to J.T.
Barrett and Cardale Jones. Barrett
returns as the reigning Big Ten Quarterback of the Year, going 11-1
before injuring his ankle in the regular season finale against Michigan. Jones stepped in for Barrett and didn’t miss
a beat, leading the Buckeyes to wins in the Big Ten Championship against
Wisconsin and then the inaugural College Football Playoff, where Ohio State
defeated Alabama and Oregon to capture the national title. No matter who wins this highly contested
battle, the Buckeyes offense will be in good hands.

2.  Complacency is a
dangerous thing. Coming off a national
title and being the outright favorites entering this year, can the Buckeyes keep their eye on the prize? This will be one of Meyer’s biggest tasks this season.

3.  Lost in all of the quarterback talk is the fact that Ohio State has
quite possibly the best running back in the nation in Ezekiel Elliott. The 6’0, 225-pound junior finished 2014 with
1,878 yards rushing, which only trails the great Eddie George (1,927 yards) in school history. With
four offensive linemen returning, look for Elliott to top that record this
year.

4.  Who replaces Doran
Grant as the top corner? The
Buckeyes think the answer is Eli Apple. The 6’1, 200-pound redshirt sophomore played opposite of Grant last
season, finishing with 53 tackles, 5.5 tackles for a loss and three
interceptions. Now, Apple needs to be
the leader of the secondary.

5.  Junior wide
receiver Michael Thomas might be the key target for the quarterbacks, but if
speedster Dontre Wilson recovers fully from a foot fracture, he might become
yet another deep threat for a team loaded with them. Meyer and new offensive coordinator Ed Warinner
will keep a close eye on Wilson as he missed all of spring practice.

For an in-depth look at the Buckeyes, check out Pete Fiutak’s Ohio State football preview. 

Questions? Comments? Email Brian at bstultz@campusinsiders.com or reach him on Twitter @brianjstultz.