Three Ohio State Buckeyes position battles to watch in the spring game that will greatly impact 2024 season

The Ohio State Buckeyes have all but officially won the off-season championship. And yes, they're also certainly one of the favorites to win the 2024 College Football Playoff Championship, but there's still plenty of things that need to be settled before that can possibly happen.

The nationally televised spring game on Fox this Saturdayat 12pm ET should reveal a variety of helpful intel about this potentially special Ohio State Buckeyes roster, including some potential clarity on key position battles that are still raging as spring practices come to a close. Three of those key position battles could be the difference between a championship and a disappointing finish in the 2024 season.

Three Buckeyes Quarterbacks in Mix

When Will Howard transferred in from Kansas State it seemed that he was the runaway favorite for the job. 27 starts for the Wildcats. Nearly 6000 career passing yards with better rushing upside than Kyle McCord brought last season. He was obviously going to come in and be the starter, right?

Apparently it's not so simple. Will Howard certainly brings leadership, experience, and dual threat skills that new offensive coordinator Chip Kelly covets to fit his offensive scheme. However, according to coach Ryan Day both former five star talents Devin Brown and Julian Sayin are making it a three quarterback position battle this spring.

Devin Brown continues to make flashy throws and break off big runs here and there with his legs, but if he wants to win the job it's going to come to down to thing according to Ryan Day:

"The big thing with him is just being as consistent as he possibly can."

Brown can make impressive plays, but then he'll miss some easy throws in both practice and scrimmage settings. This Saturday's spring game will be a huge chance for him to prove his consistency.

And while team beat reporters I talk to expect Will Howard and Devin Brown to garner the majority of the reps at the spring game, according to Ryan Day, Julian Sayin is firmly "in the mix" for the QB1 battle.

The former Elite 11 Finals champion Julian Sayin has reportedly "[looked] like the best pure passer" in the Ohio State quarterback room according to multiple team reporters, making accurate throw after throw. In fact, Sayin has performed so well that he became the earliest freshman quarterback to lose the black stripe on his helmet since the Black Stripe Tradition began more than a decade ago. Ryan Day on Sayin shedding his stripe:

"He's been in there competing, and he's making plays. The guys know. A lot of times with black stripes, it's the players. They know. They see it. Nine practices in, you could see he was making a lot of throws in big spots."

The quarterback battle is the positional competition to watch at this Saturday's spring game as it likely decides the future of Ohio State football for the 2024 season. Will Howard may have a slight edge for now, but it's clearly a starting role that's still up for grabs.

Fierce Wide Receiver Battle

Emeka Egbuka is the only returning wide receiver on the Ohio State roster who caught more than 18 receptions last fall. He's a projected 2025 first round pick who--back in 2022--posted the second highest wide receiver efficiency composite (a metric that combines all forms of receiving production on a per play basis) in the nation among sophomores, behind only his teammate Marvin Harrison. Egbuka is the clear alpha of the room, but who will emerge beyond him?

Carnell Tate has proven himself both last fall and this spring. He caught 18 balls last season, and impressed right out of the gate, catching his first receiving touchdown by mid-September.