Like it or not, each football season must come to an end and we all know that the end of one season marks the unofficial beginning of the next.

These are the days when ole man winter still has us in his grasp but spring is on the the horizon and is ready to explode without warning. These are the days when strength and conditioning coach Mickey Marotti is molding young men into Buckeyes and it's a ritual we have come to know as The Valentine's Day Massacre because of it's proximity to February 14th on the calendar and this year's massacre is upon us:

Ohio State strength coach Mickey Marotti has been working with the team since it returned from its Fiesta Bowl win over Notre Dame. 

This big week in Marotti's offseason program culminates with a high-intensity Valentine's Day workout on Friday.

Asked to name a few players who have caught his attention so far, Marotti didn't hesitate to bring up the returning seniors, specifically RB Bri'onte Dunn.

"I love our seniors, there's not many of them but I love them," Marotti said. "Bri'onte Dunn is having a great offseason, a lot of guys who have played are all in that gold level."

That gold level is the highest level a player can reach. Most of the team isn't there yet. When Ohio State started mat drills last week, there were 47 players on the roster who have never done that before.

He is most excited about one group of players in particular.

If there's a position group Marotti is most excited about, it might be the running backs. That group includes Dunn, Mike Weber and early-enrolled freshman Antonio Williams.

Marotti said Dunn has embraced being the older guy in that group, while Williams has impressed in the short time he's been on campus.

Here's a link for the full read, which includes a 2:00 video clip.

Can it just be April 16th already?!?