Ever since college football was halted in its tracks three months ago, the first question on everyone’s mind was when could it resume?

With players returning to the Woody Hayes Athletic Center for voluntary workouts Monday, it is slowly beginning to, which means focus can once again shift to the questions surrounding the team itself.

Here are five questions we have about the Buckeyes as reopening begins.

Justin Fields enters 2020 without three of his top five targets from a season ago.

Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson will undoubtedly be his go-to guys out of the receiver room, but with all the production lost to the departures of KJ Hill, Binjimen Victor and Austin Mack, the four freshman wideouts could be instrumental to the success of the Ohio State offense this year.

Ryan Day said the spring was particularly important for getting the highly touted group that includes Julian Fleming, Mookie Cooper, Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Gee Scott up to speed, but the virus cut that opportunity short.

The quickness with which Fields, Brian Hartline and the group of young receivers can make up for lost time during voluntary workouts could play a huge role in how polished the Buckeye passing attack is early on in the season.

When last the world resembled its normal form, it took all of one spring practice for Ohio State’s shallow running back room to take a major hit.

Redshirt sophomore and then-projected 2020 starter Master Teague was ruled out for the spring with an injury, though coaches said they expected the Tennessee native to be back by the start of the season.

Once players left campus to return home following the spread of the pandemic, Day said Teague was among a small contingent of players that remained on campus in order to receive better rehab treatment.

Teague’s production alongside Oklahoma transfer running back Trey Sermon will be crucial to an Ohio State offense that ran the ball 47 times per game in 2019, so his level of participation in voluntary workouts may be telling moving forward.

Teague arrived at voluntary workouts at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center Monday without any brace or visible limp of any kind.

The spring is a time for young stars to emerge and step into new roles, but that chance was taken from Ohio State’s up-and-comers in March.

Last year at this time, Chase Young and Jeff Okudah began their ascension toward top three NFL Draft pick status, but their departure means two big holes left at the defensive end and cornerback positions.

Sophomore defensive end Zach Harrison is the next gifted young pass rusher slated to take the reins from Young, though he may still be another year away from a breakout season.

In the secondary, Shaun Wade moves to outside corner to make up for the absence of Okudah, but the other two spots are still open.

Who will step up during the summer and fall to make a case as the next defensive standout for the Buckeyes?

Jeff Hafley was crucial to a one-year turnaround that helped the Ohio State defense go from much maligned in 2018 to No. 1 in the country this past year, but concerns over his departure gave way to relief for Buckeye fans as former Ohio State secondary coach Kerry Coombs returned to fill in.

Coombs had been gone only two years, and he recruited many of the roster’s defensive backs, which are both indications that his transition should be smooth.

However, his secondary may have the most question marks of any position group on the team heading into the new year as three starters from a season ago will be replaced.

The more time Coombs has to mold the new unit the better for the Ohio State defense, and the COVID-19 layoff has limited it –– at least on the field.

With staff and players returning to facilities, the way Coombs and the secondary mesh will be important to hold over the Buckeyes’ pass defense with a mostly new group.

One of the most interesting position battles set to wage throughout the spring was one that had no bearing on a starting role in 2020.

But with Fields more than likely to pursue his professional dreams after this season, the competition between freshman quarterbacks Jack Miller and CJ Stroud will likely decide who will usher in the post-Fields era under center for the Buckeyes.

Without spring football, it’s hard to get a read on who has separated themselves as the bona fide backup for Fields this year, and the future of the program after he’s gone.

The work each of them may have done to learn Day’s offense during this down period could be an early advantage heading into reopening.