COLUMBUS, Ohio –– It’s not every day that a college football program is tasked with replacing a starter at quarterback, but then again, Ohio State has done so twice in the past three seasons; and rather seamlessly, at that.

So while the surface level observation may lead one to believe the absence of Justin Fields might be the most trying transition for the Buckeyes heading into next season, it actually goes quite a bit deeper.

Ryan Day and the Ohio State coaching staff not only must fill the void of several departing stars from the 2020 roster, but they have to do so, in many cases, with players that simply did not get the development they might have otherwise in a normal year.

“This is a big, big spring and a big offseason, probably the biggest offseason we’ve had in a while here for those younger guys,” Day said last week.

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Back in 2019, when Ohio State had three Heisman contenders on its hands in Fields, Chase Young and J.K. Dobbins, Day occasionally reminded those listening that had his star players actually played four quarters of football on a weekly basis, their numbers would be even more impressive.

But instead, that team blew out each of its first 10 opponents by at least 24 points, and oftentimes by much more, allowing those players at the bottom of the depth chart an unusually large amount of opportunity to take the field.

But by and large in 2020, that opportunity simply did not exist.

Ohio State still blew Big Ten opponents out, but five of the Buckeyes’ first six games saw the opposition make just enough of a push for Day to keep many of the starters in for longer stretches.

Next, take into consideration the three canceled games that made a short season even shorter for Ohio State, despite making it all the way to the national championship game.

“We missed out on a lot of snaps this year,” Day said. “So a lot of these guys are still figuring out where they’re at in all this.”

COVID-19 absences did allow some players to step up in big games that may not have otherwise, such as freshman safety Lathan Ransom and redshirt sophomore guard Matt Jones late in the season, but even they likely would have gotten more reps in a normal year with all factors accounted for.

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If there’s solace for Day in this matter, it’s that many teams in the Big Ten were impacted to the same degree last season, and each program will have some making up to do in terms of player development.

Across conference lines though, and at the top of the college football food chain, where Ohio State hopes to find itself once again at the end of next year, opportunities for young talent to get on the field were not exactly equal.

The Buckeyes will start a quarterback without a single in-game collegiate pass on their career statline next season, but for Day, a lack of prior experience is no excuse for players not to step up 2021.

“The freshmen are no longer freshmen, now they’re sophomores.The sophomores are now upperclassmen, and the juniors and seniors, this is it for them. This is their last run,” Day said. “Everyone’s spot on the team and pecking order changes, so now these young guys are gonna have to step up and play.”