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COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) Ohio State on Friday opened what coach Ryan Day hopes will be an uninterrupted spring practice as he seeks a new starting quarterback and some normalcy after a tumultuous 2020.

Spring workouts were cut short last March when the coronavirus spread across the country. The Buckeyes practiced three times before spring break and didn't return to the field as a group until the fall ahead of a delayed and abbreviated season that saw them eventually lose to Alabama in the national championship game.

Although Ohio State's football activities were paused last week because of an uptick in positive tests, the first of 15 workouts began on schedule Friday and will culminate in the annual spring game on April 17, which may or may not have fans involved. The event in normal years typically draws a big crowd - nearly 100,000 in 2015 - but it's also critical for coaches in evaluating young players under game-like conditions.