heat of competition. But underneath the professional exte

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- When Ohio State receivers Michael Thomas, Jalin Marshall and Braxton Miller departed for the NFL, they took with them 80 percent of the teams passing-game production from last season.Thats a bunch of pressure for the receivers vying for playing time this season. They are loaded with talent and potential, definitely, but have yet to make an impact in Columbus.The two likely starters at wide receiver, Noah Brown and Corey Smith, both went down with broken legs last year but are healed and running at full speed. The rest of the crop is raw. The H-backs, Curtis Samuel and Dontre Wilson, are more experienced, but Samuel may switch back and forth between receiver and tailback.Brown had figured in Ohio States plans at receiver last year before his injury in the preseason. The 6-foot-2, 220-pound New Jersey product played in 13 games as a freshman during the 2014 season but had only one reception.Noah Brown was going to be a starter when he had that tough injury a week before our first game (last year), and hell be a starter this year, coach Urban Meyer said.If the (defender) is on top of Noah, I can just put it anywhere around Noah and hes going to get it, quarterback J.T. Barrett said. I feel like Noahs got my back, when the balls in the air its his. The young guys, they still have to develop that.Smith, a graduate student in his fourth year of eligibility, saw considerable playing time in the 14 championship season and then broke his leg in the fifth game last year. He has 25 catches for 317 yards in the two seasons. Sophomores Parris Campbell and Terry McLaurin are pushing Smith, and Johnnie Dixon, quarterback-turned-receiver Torrance Gibson and true freshman Austin Mack also are in the mix.Weve got the potential to probably be the best wide receivers thats ever come through Ohio State, Brown said. We have a lot of speed and a lot of guys who can do different things, but experience is a challenge for us.Junior Marcus Baugh inherits the tight end job after the departure of Nick Vannett.The Buckeyes offensive workhorse may turn out to be Samuel, who is the top returning receiver with 289 yards and two touchdowns in 2015. The versatile junior backed up Ezekiel Elliott at running back in 2014 and was moved to H-back -- a hybrid running back/receiver in Meyers system -- last season to get him on the field more. Hes got 33 catches for 384 yards and two touchdowns in his career, to go along with 465 rushing yards and seven touchdowns on 75 carries. With the departure of Elliott, hell be asked to augment the running game as well as catch passes.I think hes our No. 1 playmaker on offense right now, Meyer said Monday. I just love his skill set.Without Elliott to carry the offensive load this year, Meyer acknowledged a sense of urgency to improve the passing game, which ranked 100th in the country last year.That was a little bit of a crutch last year, Meyer said. You had the best tailback in the country and when in doubt, hand it to Zeke. We want to be much more balanced.---STARTING LINEUP TAKES SHAPEWith three-quarters of preseason practices done, Meyer said hes starting to name some starters, which involves calling the players parents to let them know. He said defensive end Sam Hubbard has been named a first-time starter, and tailback Mike Weber and linebackers Chris Worley and Dante Booker are close. Worley and Booker will play alongside Raekwon McMillan, the returning starter at middle linebacker.This is that week where we start making those phone calls and (say) `Hey mom and dad, get ready to make some trips because your son is starting at Ohio State, Meyer said.---EASING BOSA INFreshman defensive end Nick Bosa is on Meyers pitch count while recovering from the knee injury suffered in his senior year of high school. The 6-foot-4, 265-pound touted recruit, the younger brother of Buckeyes star defensive end Joey Bosa, should be healthy enough to play when the season starts.Well be very smart with how hard we throw him in the mix, but hell obviously be in that rotation, Meyer said.Bosa will wear the same 97 uniform number as his brother did at Ohio State.Ive definitely had the expectations for a while, having Joey come here and me follow him, and wear the same number with the same name on the back, the younger Bosa said. But Im not really focused on the hype. 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