Sonny Styles vs. C.J. Hicks, Quarterback Situation Among Top Storylines as Ohio State Begins Spring Practice

Ohio State doesn’t have as many holes to fill this spring as it usually does, but there’s still plenty to talk about after the Buckeyes’ first spring practice.The biggest headlines from the first day of spring practice included Sonny Styles’ move to linebacker, Luke Montgomery starting the spring as the first-team right guard and Devin Brown getting his shot to compete for the starting quarterback job.Tuesday also brought Chip Kelly’s first press conference as Ohio State’s offensive coordinator, which came after a weeklong stretch in which Eleven Warriors spoke with nearly 30 current or recent Ohio State football players between last week’s NFL Scouting Combine, Saturday’s Open House at the Woody hosted by The 1870 Society and Monday’s pre-spring interviews with three Ohio State quarterbacks and three returning seniors on offense.All of that gave us plenty to talk about on our first Real Pod Wednesdays of the spring football season, which we also capped off with some basketball talk as the Ohio State men look to continue their end-of-season surge and earn their way back into the NCAA Tournament bubble while the Ohio State women head to Minneapolis this week in search of a Big Ten Tournament title.The full rundown for this week’s show:0:00: Attending practice drives home just how much talent Ohio State has on its 2024 roster1:02: There aren’t many major lineup questions except Will linebacker, right side of offensive line5:06: Sonny Styles vs. C.J. Hicks is now officially a competition, and it will be a fun one to watch8:12: Luke Montgomery at right guard is an intriguing option if OSU sticks with Josh Fryar at RT10:16: There’s a whole lot of fan excitement to see this team in action11:57: Ohio State is slow-playing other transfers into the starting lineup, but not Caleb Downs12:37: Devin Brown isn‘t going to back down from competing with Will Howard at quarterback20:35: It’s striking to see how deep with talent Ohio State’s quarterback room is right now21:55: Lincoln Kienholz is in his first spring at OSU, so this isn’t a make-or-break year for him23:48: First practice serves as reminder that Julian Sayin, Air Noland are just freshmen25:00: Last year showed why it’s best if a clear starting quarterback emerges this spring27:42: Jeremiah Smith is already turning heads31:15: Brandon Inniss could be top punt returner option if Caleb Downs isn’t used there34:31: Caleb Downs draws huge praise from former Alabama teammates at NFL Combine38:28: Chip Kelly, Ryan Day both seem very comfortable in new roles working together47:15: Combine features introspective Tommy Eichenberg, Cade Stover defending his blocking55:21: Ohio State will have a real NCAA Tournament shot if it can win its next three games57:51: Ohio State’s new identity under Jake Diebler has led to its improved performance1:03:24: Diebler will be a head coach somewhere next year if he wants to be1:04:38: Dusty May gaining traction as candidate to be Ohio State’s next head coach1:07:53: No. 1 seed could be on the line as OSU women play for Big Ten Tournament title1:12:52: Don’t forget about women’s hockey when discussing OSU’s most exciting teams