Last season, Ohio State elected a trio of defensive seniors as captains, the first time since 2002 that only defensive players represented the team.

After the departures of Kurt Coleman, Doug Worthington and Austin Spitler — all 7th round picks in April’s NFL Draft — OSU is left with a fresh set of faces to guide a team widely projected to start the season ranked in the top five.

Coach Jim Tressel designated a fourth captain from the offensive side of the ball each week last year. Lineman Jim Cordle earned that nomination several times. He, too, has moved on to the NFL.

Still, OSU has a deep crop of players that could fill the shoes of the veterans that guided the team to its first Rose Bowl victory since 1997.

Four choices seem probable, but a number of players could end up in the mix. Cameron Heyward, Ross Homan, Justin Boren and Bryant Browning, who will all be seniors, should have the inside edge to lead OSU in 2010.

Many expected Heyward to forgo his final season for the pros, but he returned to anchor the defensive line one last time. An obvious candidate to be a captain, the senior led the Buckeyes a year ago with 6.5 sacks.

Homan, another likely selection, will look to add to his team-leading total of 108 tackles during his senior season in scarlet and gray.

A three-year starter along the offensive line, Browning might be quiet, but he says he possesses the necessary qualities to excel as a leader.

“We always talk about leadership when you get older, and it’s my job to do the best I can to set a good example on and off the field, just doing the little things,” he said. “I study and do a little extra just so I can teach it to the younger players so we can be the best team we can be.”

Boren transferred from Michigan after his sophomore season and gives the OSU offensive line a mean streak that complements Browning’s low-key personality.

“Justin Boren is pretty bad,” quarterback Terrelle Pryor said. “I like how nasty he is. (Linemen) have to be ferocious on the field and want to take somebody’s head off. That’s the kind of people I want to be around.”

After those four clear-cut candidates, the picture becomes foggy.

Soft-spoken running back Brandon Saine might merit a nomination, one he would embrace despite his relaxed demeanor.

“I am a pretty soft-spoken guy and they give me a lot of slack for not having big rah-rah speeches for them, but I think it would be an amazing experience,” Saine said. “I wasn’t even the captain of my high school team, but it would mean a lot. I would be humbled and excited to do it.”

Senior cornerbacks Chimdi Chekwa and Devon Torrence also might be factors, as they direct a young secondary.

Receiver Dane Sanzenbacher, who served as the honorary offensive captain multiple times last season, could also earn the nod.

On many teams, however, the quarterback serves as the central leader. After a Rose Bowl MVP performance capped off two rocky seasons under center for Terrelle Pryor, the quarterback expressed his desire to earn the votes of confidence from his teammates.

“I hope so,” Pryor said, though he added that he had no idea if his teammates would actually add that responsibility to his plate.

Since he first entered the OSU huddle as a freshman, Pryor stressed his role as conductor of the offense.

“When you come in as a starting quarterback and fight your way in in the third game, you have to grow up,” he said. “You’re leading grown men now, 23-, 24-year-olds. You’re in the huddle alone with 10 other players and they’re listening to every word you say. You have to be older and be more of an adult. Now things keep getting easier and easier and I think I’m going to become a great leader.”

Whether or not he’s granted full grasp of the team’s reins remains to be seen.

Either way, the Buckeyes have a variety of options to choose from when the players elect captains toward the end of summer practices in August.