Ohio State just finished up its 2021 spring practice schedule and showcased its talents at the spring game. With familiar faces, and players making their debuts, a lot is to be said about the state of the program moving into the 2021 season.

In particular, many fans were wondering how the coaching staff would progress the defensive scheme and what was being done to avoid another Alabama-like performance.

From breaking down the Buckeyes defensively, they did make changes that may not have caught everyone's eye.

The key difference that was evident from the beginning was the Sam LB position. In the past, Ohio State has played with 3 traditional LB's on the field.

These three LB's were run first oriented, and had a gap in the run fit. Enter 2021, Ohio State started the spring game in a 4-2-5 look. Ronnie Hickman was last years Sam LB on the field, but now listed as the Bullet (BLT).

This is the first adjustment from the 2020 season the Buckeyes coaching staff has made, and a well-needed one at that. One advantage is that the BLT position has guys that can both cover and play in run support if needed.

The alignment is the first sight adjustment you should see as Hickman is now sitting at about 7 yards. This is almost a 2 high shell look, but more in a walked down style. This will provide advantages for Ohio State to play different looks, rotate back into more of a 2 high look, send a variety of blitz concepts from this look, and offer variety.

The added space with the BLT also gives guys like Hickman the time they need to dissect the given play.

Ohio State will still stick with the slot corner, who will always be matched up with a slot receiver to dictate match-ups. When it comes to the rest of the defense, all will be the same.

The Buckeyes will still utilize a 4 down front, with two LB's in the box (MLB and WLB). With the addition of the Bullet, we won't see as much of a 1 high post safety, but after the conclusion of the spring game, it will still be there. In terms of how Ohio State plans to fit the run, again not much will change.

The Bullet will be a force player on most run fits, and the slot corner will also be a force player to the weak side. For the most part, this keeps them out of the immediate run fit to be able to handle RPO's.

But on runs to the Bullet (or slot corner), they will have to force runs back inside to the rallying defense. Teams will try and test the Bullet and slot corner's out early in the run game to see if they can hold up.

Early in the game, Ryan Day did in fact run at the Bullet to see if he could hold on on runs forcing the ball back inside. Day motions to a 2 X 2 Y off set, and runs mid zone at the BLT. Hickman does a fantastic job of playing the force, and getting the ball back inside to the pursuit.

With a lighter body, opposing offenses will want to see if they can find that advantage. If the BLT can hold up, it makes the Buckeyes that much better at defending the pass (with a lighter and quicker body).

Again forcing the ball inside, the BLT's did a great job of being the force player in the run fit.

The Buckeyes run D success was at an all time high in 2020, and it has also carried into the spring game. Just from the spring game, Ohio State will be set on being in a 1 high shell if they need stops in the running game. The 6 box players have done a supreme job in the past at playing gap sound and fitting the run.

This, in my opinion, will never be an issue at Ohio State. As you can see, the success will carry over from year to year.

As we talked about the 6 box players, being able to diversify and scheme the back end is going to be very crucial. If we sit in cover 3, the front 4 will have to create pressure on the QB for this pass coverage to be successful. It's be proven that when the Buckeyes cannot create a hurry or a pressure, QB's will pick this apart.

One of the bigger questions going into the 2021 spring game was how the Buckeyes would adjust their coverage after a down year. Well, long story short, not much changed in the spring game.

The most obvious adjustment was to mix in much more cover 1, which also had its ups and downs. In 2020, Ohio State based out of a spot drop cover 3.

Jeff Hafley brought the simplistic but successful scheme to Columbus in 2019. Fast forward to 2020, and the Buckeyes tried to replicate it again. To no avail, Ohio State struggled hanging up in pass coverage.

This can be tied to many things, but not getting to the QB or forcing hurries played a vital role. In cover 3, Ohio State will play with a 3 deep 4 under.

In cover 3, defenses only send 4 rushers after the QB, so unless you have a dominate pass rusher, QB's will have plenty of time to find a open receiver.

When Ohio State can play cover 1, they can now bring a 5th rusher (don't have to), and can create quicker pressure on the QB. This, mixed with bump and run on receivers, has a better chance at getting to the QB.

With cover 1, you will take your bumps and bruises. Teams can find a quick mismatch and attack it, create rub routes to get defenders off receivers, or use the QB's legs. So, in this sense, you have to pick your poison.

Will Ohio State have the DB's to play bump and run man, and if not, can they get to the QB only rushing 4 in cover 3?

These are answers the coaching staff will have to find, but it seems they may have found their pass rusher in Jack Sawyer.

When Ohio State sat in cover 3, a lot of old issues arose and beat the defense. Pressure was not generated on the QB, and this gave the receivers time to find space (since defenders are covering a area, not a man).

LB's were also playing tight to the line of scrimmage and not able to get back in pass coverage. This let crossing routes get completed behind their head, just as it did vs Alabama.

When Ohio State mixed in cover 1, they did find some success, but that also came at a price. The Buckeyes defense was able to generate pressure, and hold up in coverage on many occasions.

But, Ryan Day is calling plays and knows how to beat man. They threw quick pass concepts that took advantage of space and time.

This is where the success started with cover 1 inside the red zone. Playing man coverage in the red zone gives the defense a bit of an advantage to bring 5 and give the offense no space to work with.

This forces opposing QB's to put the ball in a perfect position to complete passes, and here that did not happen. Jack Miller puts a fade ball too far inside, which leads to a interception.

While man coverage has it's added benefits, it also has some downsides. Taking advantage of mismatches with the deep ball creates some chances to take shots, which happens here for Chris Olave.

Add in vertical shots and taking advantage of mismatches, inside breaking routes will also be something to prepare for for the 2021 season. These routes break so fast that the front 4 will not have time to get pressure, and DB's will have to do better off the line of scrimmage.

And here is just another example of what the Buckeyes will have to prepare for in the fall. Teams will take their shots and chances on cover 1, and some will hit. If the Buckeyes can generate pressure with 5, these throws happen sooner and with a less chance of being completed.

When Ohio State went to cover 3, they also took some bumps and bruises, but also started to gain success.

Here, Ohio State's offense runs a play-action Yankee concept, attacking the middle of the field safety. The safety got sucked in with play-action and the crosser coming in front of his face. The Buckeyes ran into this issue during the 2020 campaign frequently.

This is what it will take to make cover 3 go. Generating pressure while the QB is trying to read his key defender. The quicker you force throws, the better chance a defense has to react to that throw.

This time in a 2 high shell, the front 4 dominates the line of scrimmage and give the QB no time to find an open receiver while trying to dissect the coverage.

Another added advantage of having a Bullet on the field is speed at the "flat" defender position in the pass. Both the slot corner and Bullet can gain ground more easily to deflect and disrupt timing of the pass to the flat area in cover 3.

While the Buckeyes showed some signs of improvement on defense and willing to change, there are still issues that need to be worked out. Playing spot drop cover 3 will need to evolve if the Buckeyes want to base out of that coverage.

They did a much better job mixing in some cover 1, trying to keep the offense off balance. Teams will just need to motion pre-snap to identify the coverage if the Buckeyes just stay in 1 high. Motioning receivers will help offenses dissect the coverage, so if a defender follows the motion it tells them they are in man.

To evolve, the Buckeyes need to mix in some pattern matching concepts from the 1 high look. This will further evolve the defense and keep offenses guessing. As far as the run defense goes, the dominance seems to continue.

The only questions left into 2021 is if the Buckeyes will have a dominate pass rusher to help cover 3, and a middle of the field safety who can cover a lot of ground.