On Tuesday morning the wind blustered bitter, face-numbing gusts, the sun was no where to be seen and a light snow fell.
It was springtime in Ohio.
That means that inside Walter Fieldhouse, Ohio hit the field again in preparation for the 2017 season. The Bobcats first of 15 practices that the NCAA allows for spring practice took place in the early morning hours on Tuesday.
Tuesday began a long road for the Bobcats, whose season never really ends. After a bowl game loss on Dec. 23, the team went straight into offseason workouts before spring practice started. With new and old faces, Ohio got ready for its season that's 171 days away.
“Everybody is ready to get out here," quarterback Quinton Maxwell said. "Biggest thing is trying to get better, trying to start fast, come out and execute. Not try to do anything special or extraordinary on the first day, just come out here and try to execute the offense.”
Maxwell is the projected No. 1 quarterback next season. He saw time on the field last year as a starter and as a backup, splitting reps with former quarterback Greg Windham. Maxwell went 90-of-162 passing for 1,252 yards with eight touchdowns and four interceptions.
“It definitely is different," Maxwell, a current-redshirt freshman, said. "I’ve got a better grasp on the offense, I feel more comfortable, which is always a good start. I felt pretty good today, thought we had a good practice, thought the guys moved around pretty well. We’ll keep it moving through spring ball.”
Maxwell was an "old" face on an offense that needs consistency. The Bobcats will return just six starters on offense — counting Dorian Brown as the starter, for now. Ohio lost two offensive lineman, a veteran quarterback in Windham and three top receivers, Jordan Reid, Sebastian Smith and Kyle Belack.
But possibly the biggest offensive storyline, including Maxwell starting camp as the starter, was the return of A.J. Ouellette.
The sophomore running back redshirted last season and will enter next season as the projected starter at as a redshirt junior. The reason for the redshirt, however, was a much bigger story.
Ouellette suffered a broken foot on the third play of the season against Texas State. He didn't see the field the rest of the season.
“He’s not gonna be able to go through contact, but to see him out with us running around with us and running through the plays is great," coach Frank Solich said. "His demeanor is important on the football field, everybody picks up from him and what he’s all about.”
With Ouellette in the fold, the Bobcats projected offensive starters at the skill positions now has no senior starters.
Ohio's spring practice schedule will be decided by the health of most everyone on the roster, which as seen by the running back position last year, can make all the difference in the world.
“I’d like to try to get in three scrimmages at least, that’s gonna depend on a couple different positions, mainly offensive line," Solich said. "But we really are taking it day by day, we want to be able to get our plays run to a point where they’re able to know what they’re doing. We’re not having a true Spring Game...we’ll see how it ends up playing out.”
