Ohio State football team names one new starter, close to naming another

The Ohio State football team has resolved most of their positional battles in Fall camp. That's good considering the Buckeyes open up their season in just over a week. Getting the starting quarterback figured out was the biggest thing they needed to do and Will Howard got the nod.

There were a few other battles that were still being fought. The Buckeyes have been looking for a starting punter after Jesse Mirco left in the offseason via the transfer portal. There have been three guys battling it out for that starting position that was wide open.

The WILL linebacker position is one of the most intriguing battles. With Cody Simon already locked into the other linebacker spot, C.J. Hicks and Sonny Styles have been battling for the WILL spot. Styles was moved to linebacker now that Caleb Downs is at safety. One of these spots has been resolved and the other one has a leader in the clubhouse.

Ohio State football team names a starting punter and a leader for the WILL LB position

Ryan Day has named freshman punter Nick McLarty as the starting punter for the Akron game. I would assume that means he will be the starter throughout the season unless he punts poorly. He's huge for a punter, standing at 6'7 and 255 pounds.

Sonny Styles has also been named the leader in the clubhouse for the linebacker spot. It's not surprising, but it makes sense. Styles is too good of an athlete to keep him off the field. That spot is not set in stone yet and Day did not name him the official starter.

Even if Styles is the starter, Hicks will get a lot of playing time. Jim Knowles has already mentioned that there will be more three-linebacker sets this season to make sure that all three guys are on the field enough. The linebacker position has more depth this year than in past years.

That leaves right guard as the last true battle to figure out. That battle is neck-and-neck.