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 tight ends.

Statistically, Jeremy Ruckert had one of the best seasons that an Ohio State tight end has had in years.

The senior tight end had the most receptions by a tight end since Marcus Baugh in 2017 with 26 and the most receiving yards by a tight end since Jeff Heuerman in 2013 with 309.

But compared to the rest of the wide receivers that worked with redshirt freshman quarterback C.J. Stroud for Ohio State's best pass offense in school history, Ruckert's impact was minute.

Ruckert's 26 receptions were 7.4 percent of the Buckeyes' total receptions in 2021, behind wide receivers Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Garrett Wilson, Chris Olave and running back TreVeyon Henderson. The senior tight end was also fifth in receiving yards, bringing in 309 of the team's 4,952 passing yards from Stroud, Kyle McCord and Jack Miller III (6.2 percent).

As for tight ends not named Ruckert, Cade Stover, Gee Scott Jr., Mitch Rossi and Joe Royer combined for 155 yards and one touchdown on 15 receptions.

In the run game, the tight ends, specifically Ruckert and Rossi, helped the Buckeyes lead the Big Ten with 5.5 yards per carry, averaging 180.3 rushing yards per game with 24 touchdowns.

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While Ohio State's usage of the tight end isn't huge, its depth is falling off dramatically heading into 2022.

Ruckert served as a key run blocker on the outside for Ohio State, while also serving as a red-zone threat with his 6-foot-5, 252-pound frame, bringing in 12 touchdowns in three seasons as a starter, including five touchdowns in five games in 2020.

Also, Stover, who was moved to tight end in 2020 after being recruited as a linebacker, seems to be moving back to defense in 2022, shining in the middle alongside Tommy Eichenberg against Utah in the Rose Bowl after bringing in 76 receiving yards on five receptions in the regular season..

Between each of Ohio State's returning tight ends comes 11 receptions for 87 yards and a touchdown in the passing game.

According to offensive coordinator and tight ends coach Kevin Wilson, Royer and Scott will be more of the pass-based tight ends, while Sam Hart fills in as the inline blocker at 6-foot-5, 245 pounds.

WIlson said Rossi, Zak Herbstreit and Patrick Gurd hav been playing the fullback-based tight end position, one the tight ends coach describes as one that's a "quality, high-end contributor."

Coming in at 6-foot-6, 245 pounds, Bennett Christian comes in as basically a replica of Ruckert from Day 1.

Watching players like Ruckert and Luke Farrell, Christian looks at himself as "next in line" for Ohio State's block-first tight end look, playing a glorified tackle position for an Allatoona High School offense that was extremely run-heavy.

With only one player at that inline tight end spot with him in Hart, who has not played a snap for the Buckeyes, redshirting his freshman year in 2021, Christian could have a path to early playing time in his college career.

While Ohio State expects Scott, a wide receiver-turned-tight end, to play somewhat of a factor in the passing game, getting bigger from last season and developing more technique as a blocker, the Buckeyes' tight end room will likely be led by Rossi.

The tight end/fullback will play an integral role in the run-pass option sets, giving defenses another option to worry about in the backfield or on the in-line.

It's the same storyline as it is every year: "Will this be the year of the tight end?"

Heading into his first spring as a college football player, Christian made it clear that it doesn't have to be, knowing and embracing the tight end roles that Ruckert and Farrell set before him.

But Ruckert, with his size, was a red-zone threat for Ohio State in the passing game, using him as a size advantage on the inside. Could Scott, who Wilson said is already weighing in the 230s in spring ball, serve as that primary threat, coming in as a wide receiver that had 76 receptions for 1,453 yards and 15 touchdowns during his senior season at Eastside Catholic High School in Seattle in 2019?

While it may not be the main source of offense, it could add another wrinkle, leading back to the every-year question of what a tight end's role is in the Buckeyes' offense.

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