Ryan Day is halfway through his first year of spring practice. (Birm/Lettermen Row)

Good morning, Ohio State fans, and welcome to the Scarlet Sunrise! Football will always be our focus, but every day we’ll cover news, notes and analysis from across Buckeyes sports. Join us each morning to get caught up on everything you missed in the world of Ohio State football, recruiting, basketball and more.

Ohio State is halfway through spring

Ohio State is at the halfway point of spring practice, which means it’s a great time to evaluate how the team is progressing. Take it away, Jeff Hafley!

“Spring is going good so far,” co-defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley said. “Guys are working, competing. The energy is awesome. I think both sides are doing a really good job right now.

“The best thing I see is that guys are getting better every day. We just keep talking about technique, technique, technique. And the great part about these guys is that they’re just buying into everything you tell them. I mean, they are trying it, they’re coming out and asking questions, they’re learning and coaching each other. Just the improvement in the overall technique, that’s what spring is about.

Henry Gray loved Ohio State visit

The Buckeyes hosted one of their top defensive targets in the Class of 2020 for a three-day visit over the weekend, and it seems couldn’t have gone much better between the program and Henry Gray. Lettermen Row updated some of what was being said about the visit on Tuesday afternoon and how well it went from the Ohio State perspective. And if Gray is taken at his word, it seems the two sides are aligned at present.

“Ever since I got the offer from Ohio State, I’ve been wanting to visit,” Gray told Lettermen Row. “It was everything that I thought and more. The facilities are great, the players are great and the environment is second to none. All the people are focused on a mission and take football as a priority. I definitely felt at home, and I thought that I would feel weird being so far away from home. But the coaches and players made me feel really welcome. It was a great experience for me and my best visit so far.”

Gray intends to take all of his official visits before making a commitment at the Under-Armour All-American game, and the Buckeyes will get his final official visit. He left Columbus without any remaining doubts about Ohio State and his fit within the program.

“They answered every question I had,” he said. “They told me to take my time with the process. The Buckeyes are in a very good position right now. There’s really nothing more they need to do.”

For more on Ohio State recruiting, check out the Wednesday edition of Dotting the ‘Eyes.

Zach Boren on Pete Werner

It’s still quite early in spring camp for any kind of sweeping prediction. But in putting together any sort of projection for the Buckeyes at the second level, Werner isn’t somebody who should be overlooked just because he was on the field for some of those well-known struggles last year under a different position coach.

What does Pete Werner do that makes him valuable on defense? How can he take the next step after getting a year of experience under his belt? Will the new scheme set him up for more success? Former Ohio State linebacker Zach Boren was in the film lab breaking it all down in his latest episode of BuckIQ with an eye on Werner.

WATCH: Zach Boren analyzes linebacker Pete Werner

What’s next for Basketball Buckeyes?

After back-to-back trips to the second round of the NCAA Tournament, what’s next for Chris Holtmann and Ohio State basketball? Lettermen Row senior writer Austin Ward tackled that topic in the Wednesday question of the day. Here’s part of what he had to say:

With two true points guards to work with in his backcourt now, a year of valuable experience for the freshmen who were heavily relied on early in their careers, a chance to get Kyle Young healthy and the return of the Wesson brothers — there won’t be any excuses with the rotation at Holtmann’s disposal. Is that group good enough to win the Big Ten? That’s a tall order considering just how deep the league will be again next year, and established powers like Michigan and Michigan State aren’t going away any time soon. But the Buckeyes should be able to stand toe to toe with every team in the league, and they are likely more than capable of earning a double-bye in the conference tournament and ensuring they won’t have to sweat out Selection Sunday like this year.

Counting down

Oho State spring game: 16 days

NFL Draft: 28 days

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