COLUMBUS - Before it became a thing, social distancing was never practiced by early enrollees C.J. Stroud and Jack Miller in their battle to become the eventual successor to Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields.

"Me and Jack, we often hang out," Stroud said when both freshmen and the Buckeyes' other 12 early enrollees met with reporters in early February. "We go out to eat all the time and we're brothers. Me and him, we compete every day, but it's all a brotherhood and love.

"Coach (Ryan) Day hasn't really talked about it. None of the coaches have. It's just kind one of those things that you understand. There's no bad blood and nobody is mad at each other. We're doing it all out of love."

It's a strange dichotomy but typical in any quarterback competition. They want to achieve as much separation as possible from each other in the arms' race and still develop a bond for the greater good of their team.

"I think it's a good balance," Miller said. "I'm going to be friends with all my teammates no matter what, and now obviously we're competing for the same thing, but it's a friendly competition. We're friends and we're cool. There's not a beef as people would say."

With Fields expected to turn pro after this season (if there is a season), Stroud vs. Miller was the most anticipated battle of spring ball until everything for the foreseeable future was canceled because of the coronavirus outbreak.

They've returned to their respective corners — Stroud in southern California and Miller in Arizona — until they get a chance to duke it out in earnest.

OSU's spring drills had barely started before the plug was pulled. Hardly enough time for the young quarterbacks to put Day's system in practice and build chemistry with the receiving corps. (FaceTime conversations don't count.)

That's Fields' plight, too, since the Buckeyes were in the process of working in the most talented collection of freshman receivers in the country — Julian Fleming, Gee Scott Jr., Jaxson Smith-Njigba and Mookie Cooper.

"I was very impressed with how (Stroud and Miller) came in and worked, just their approach and the way they were able to take the offense to the field the first three days of practice," Day said. "Of all the people, the receivers and those two quarterbacks are going to be the ones who are really going to miss spring practice the most. But it is what it is.

"We're going to have to do a great job of getting them the film and letting them study. There's nothing like taking reps, though. You can do a lot that stuff, like watching film, and those guys will, and do a great job ... but there's nothing like taking snaps. The sooner we can get them under center again the better off we're going to be."

The good news is that the Buckeyes have a Heisman Trophy finalist returning in Fields. Last season, after transferring from Georgia, he led the Buckeyes to a perfect regular season, a Big Ten championship and a playoff berth, where they fell just short against Clemson of playing for a national title.

Ohio State also has a veteran in fifth-year senior Gunner Hoak. He's a better backup plan now that he's been in the program for a year after transferring from Kentucky.

But it won't be that long before the reins are turned over to Stroud or Miller, so the practice time lost this spring is costly.

Miller already felt like he was playing catch-up after missing a huge chunk of the last two seasons because of an MCL tear as a junior and a separated shoulder that sidelined him for six games last season.

Despite those setbacks he still set a state record for career touchdown passes (115) and single-season marks for TD passes (53) and passing yardage (3,653) at Chaparral High School in Scottsdale.

"I really haven't played a whole lot of football these last two years and it's kind of all getting bottled up and I'm just ready to go," Miller said. "I just love playing football and it got taken away from me, so I just know how much it means to me and how much I really love playing football. I know not to take anything for granted and just cherish every single moment and work your tail off."

While Miller was one of the first commits to the 2020 class, Stroud was one of the last. But Day was on him early, before his prep career took off as a senior, and that scored points with Stroud.

"When Coach Day texted me, I felt that. I was like, ‘This is a sign,'" Stroud said. "At first, I really didn’t understand the Ohio State offer, to be honest. I thought it was going to be another USC or UCLA. But when I got here for my first unofficial visit for the Michigan State game and going into the stadium, I could see the tradition and the people outside and the walk into the old basketball arena with the chants and the motivational speeches.

“Then you get into the stadium and it’s 105,000 and everybody is squeezed against each other. Everybody is screaming their lungs out just for the Buckeyes to win. That was the support I wanted in my college experience. I wanted to play in front of that so I could get ready for the next level.”

A one-time two-star prospect, Stroud was MVP of the 2019 Elite 11 Finals and soared up the recruiting ranks by throwing for 3,878 yards and 47 touchdowns as a senior.

He was considered the No. 2 pocket passer among 2020 prospects.

"I think first and foremost that California quarterbacks are the best quarterbacks in the country," Stroud said. "I mean, I think us three — me, D.J. (Uiagalelei from Clemson) and Bryce (Young from Alabama) — are the three best quarterbacks in the country. And I feel like we're at the three best schools to be honest.

"I think we're all going to great programs and these programs speak for themselves with the tradition. And I wouldn't say the coaching is better, but I think coach Day is the best coach in the country. I think those other schools back West have great coaches, don't get me wrong. But we just have the best in a sense."

Ohio State held the same allure for Miller.

"I think it's just the want to be great," he said. "I mean, everybody that comes through here gets developed in a way that you really don't see many other places. Just with all the first round draft picks, if you look at all the Heisman winners, it's really just where I think we felt comfortable. It's the way they recruit, the way they talk to us, the way they treat us. I mean it was just special."

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Marcus Hartman of the Dayton Daily News noted that OSU has signed a pair of quarterbacks in the same class only four times since 1999. Each time produced either a national champion (Craig Krenzel in 2002, Cardale Jones in 2014), a Heisman Trophy (Troy Smith) or both (Joe Burrow, albeit at LSU).

Stroud sees competing against Miller as just another challenge in his life. He's the youngest of four children raised by a single mom. His father, whom he considers his best friend, was sent off to prison when he was in middle school.

"The things I’ve been through and the hardships I’ve been through, it makes me different just because I can relate to a lot of people," Stroud said. "I can relate to going through the slums and the mud of life. Those things made it easier for me with my decision, even though Jack was committed.

“If I can go through that, I can go through anything because God is on my side.”