Spring football is here.

After a roller coaster of a 2021 season, from the highest of highs at the Rose Bowl to the lowest of lows at home against Oregon and in Ann Arbor against Michigan, Ohio State is back on the practice field with high expectations once again.

In the weeks leading up to the spring game, we'll break down the roster, going position-by-position to see who's back for another season, who the Buckeyes lost and what the expectations will be heading into the Buckeyes' season opener Sept. 3 against Notre Dame.

Today, we take a look at Ohio State's special teams.

For an offense like the one Ohio State has last season, special teams can kind of come as a sort of afterthought. But when the Buckeyes needed the boost, it seemed to get one, especially in the kicking game.

In his first season as a graduate transfer from North Carolina, Noah Ruggles was one of the best kickers in the country, making 20 of his 21 field goal attempts for a 95.2% success rate — tied for second-best in the country with Appalachian State's Chandler Staton — along with recording the most extra-point attempts in FBS, connecting on each of his 74 tries.

When the offense couldn't quite get things done, punter Jesse Mirco did what he could, recording 31 punts — the third-least in the Big Ten conference — for an average of 42.3 yards per punt, recording 17 inside the 20-yard line and five of over 50 yards. The Ohio State punt return unit only allowed seven returns all season.

In the return game, Emeka Egbuka shined. The freshman averaged 29 yards per return, 12th best in the country and the best in the Big Ten by nearly four yards, leading a unit that averaged 24.5 yards per return — second best in the conference.

However, with Garrett Wilson and Jaxon Smith-Njigba couldn't find much success as the Buckeyes' primary punt returners. Finishing with 23 returns in 2022, tied with Rutgers for the third-most in the Big Ten, Ohio State averaged 5.7 yards per touch, third worst in the conference ahead of Wisconsin and Nebraska.

Not many changes are happening on the special teams front ahead of the start of the 2022 season.

Ruggles and Mirco will return as Ohio State's kicker and punter, respectively, while Egbuka will try and record the Buckeyes's first kickoff return for a touchdown since Jordan Hall housed one in 2011.

In the punt return game, with Wilson gone, Cameron Martinez has stepped in to take first-team reps at punt returner, followed by Smith Njigba and wide receiver Julian Fleming. Ohio State is looking for its first punt returner to record a touchdown since cornerback Sevyn Banks recorded one in 2018 — a 33-yard return off a blocked punt by Chris Olave against Michigan.

Ohio State hasn't had much success on the return front as of late.

Coming out of the COVID-shortened 2020 season, the struggles were clear in the kickoff return game, finishing last in the Big Ten averaging 13.3 yards per return with only seven in eight games with Demario McCall, Xavier Johnson and Wilson in charge.

Egbuka woke up that production a bit in 2021, boosting the Buckeyes' average by 11.2 yards.

Ohio State will look for similar improvement at punt return as Wilson, Smith-Njigba and Olave averaged 5.7 yards per return last season.

In spring practice, Martinez has been leading the way. Ohio State's second-string nickel safety, the Muskegon, Michigan native played quarterback in high school, rushing for 6,954 yards in 52 games — 11th most in the history of the Michigan High School Athletic Association and second-most among quarterbacks.

Can Ohio State find a level of explosiveness at a position it has survived without for awhile?

Cornerback

Offensive line

Safety

Tight end

Linebacker

Wide receiver

Defensive end

Running back

Defensive tackle

Quarterback