COLUMBUS — Practice seven is in the books for Ohio State as the Buckeyes trudge toward the Aug. 31 season-opener against Akron. Thursday’s entire practice was open to the media, and following the practice, head coach Ryan Day discussed where his team stands heading into the all-important scrimmage day on Saturday.

Ohio State’s most pressing question exists at the most important position, and quarterbacks Will Howard and Devin Brown continue to battle for the starting job. While Day was not ready to announce a winner on Thursday, he was complimentary of Howard’s progression through a week of camp.

“We’ve been mixing it up a little bit, but you’re starting to see (Howard) and Devin start to get a little bit more of the lion’s share of the reps with the ones,” he said. “I will say (Will) has taken command of the huddle at the line of scrimmage. I think he’s much more confident out there. No decision has been made. We’re gonna probably scrimmage a little bit on Saturday. By then we’ll take an evaluation and see where we’re at, but both guys are getting reps with the ones.

“But I will say Will really has taken some strides in the last couple of practices. He’s taken control of the offense, making plays on third down. Again, he hasn’t won the job, but we have seen some positive play there.”

Howard has flashed his play-making ability both with his arm and legs throughout the seven completed practices, but it’s his progression in the mental aspects of the position Day has been most pleased with after a week of practice.

“This preseason you’ve noticed a total command of the offense,” Day said. “He’s put some work in this summer, not only on his body but also his understanding of the offense. He’s worked on his throwing mechanics. But if you said to just give you the one thing that looks different this preseason, it’s his command of the offense, the way he’s making decisions, and his movement.”

While Ohio State’s starting offensive line is mostly secured with the exception of the right guard spot, evaluations have been difficult for offensive line coach Justin Frye lately as a virus has wreaked havoc on the group. On Tuesday, left tackle Josh Simmons and right guard candidate Carson Hinzman were absent from practice due to illness. Multiple other players in the expected two-deep roster were limited or had their practices cut short due to illness, forcing the offense to roll out makeshift units throughout the day as well as having guys play in multiple rotation groups.

Asked about the illness after practice, Day said it hasn’t caused too many issues yet but noted the team can’t afford for it to linger much longer.

“If this continues like this, it’s going to have an effect (on the entire offensive evaluation),” he said. “If we can kind of flush this out pretty soon, then I think it’ll be just a bump in the road. We’ll see how this weekend shakes out.”

Several players stood out during the practice on both sides of the ball, but no single player flashed more than sophomore tight end Jelani Thurman, who caught multiple touchdowns in the red zone during team portions and likely would have had a third if not for a poorly-thrown ball.

At 6-foot-6-inches tall and 258 lbs., Thurman presents a tantalizing physical makeup and red zone option for the Buckeyes at a position light on experience. However, before he can fulfill such a role on game days, Day said Thurman must first begin showing up day after day rather than flashing occasionally.

“Jelani has the talent,” Day said. “You’ve heard me say this before but he has the talent, and you can watch a five- or 10-play cut-up and be very, very impressed. But he needs to be consistent. It’s all the no-talent issues with him. It’s the focus. He made some plays, but then there were some plays we gotta make that weren’t made. And so I love the way he competes. I love his approach. I love his attitude. But in order to play tight end, you have to do a lot of job descriptions, so you have to be on it every play. And all it can take is one bad play and that can ruin a whole drive.”

Day said tight ends have to be able to run routes like receivers, block like linemen, and serve in pass protection like a running back. He added that after the quarterback, tight ends are asked to do more than any other position in the offense.

“He needs to continue to work in the meeting rooms to make sure that when he gets on the field, he knows exactly what he’s doing because we see a huge ceiling for him,” Day said of Thurman. “And he’s made strides. He’s had a good first couple of weeks of camp. But we need him to come on in that area and show more consistency. If he can, he’ll play for us this season.”

As the offense continues to search for the final pieces to its puzzle, little is left to be decided for the Buckeyes’ defense, which had another strong showing on Thursday during team portions, particularly in the secondary. Asked specifically about safeties Lathan Ransom and Caleb Downs, Day took the opportunity to heap praise on Ransom and what his decision to return for another year meant for the defense.

“I just love being around Lathan,” Day said. “I just love him as a person, and I just love being around him. He just goes so hard and he cares so much. There’s no messing around; he means business. But he also has a big heart and is a great teammate. When he decided to come back, that was a big deal for our entire defense and our entire team. He’s a competitive guy and plays really hard. He’s poised to have a great season.”

Day noted everything Ransom displays on the field spreads to the entire secondary, and because of it, they’re practicing with a lot of confidence this preseason.

“There’s a swagger and a strut with that defense right now,” Day said of the secondary. “They love to compete. They love going against each other. They kind of go back and forth with the wideouts and tight ends every day in practice. I mean, if the offensive line wants to go at them, they’ll do that too. That’s just the way they are. They love competing … They’re a gritty group, but that starts with the older guys, and Lathan is one of them.”

Reach Dillon Davis at 740-413-0904. Follow him on Twitter @DillonDavis56.