With a playlist complete with everything from Taylor Swift, to Coldplay, Drake, Fetty Wap and even DMX, Ohio State's football freshmen and other newcomers took the field for the first time in a Buckeye practice Monday at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center.
Media was permitted to view the first four periods of the morning session, which mostly included just stretching and various warmup drills.
Head coach Urban Meyer also spoke to his new players to give them a preview of what they signed up for when they elected to become Buckeyes.
"Everything we do is for a purpose," Meyer said. "The biggest thing of the day is football position. If you're out of it, you panic. I'm gonna be insane about that today. Loaded stance, loaded stance, loaded stance. Pay attention to that."
Meyer then yielded to co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach Chris Ash, who informed the freshmen what it means when the coaches yell "difference in the program" to them. He then called up Cameron Howard and Khaleed Franklin — older walk-ons — to demonstrate a low delivery drill based on athletic stance.
Here is Urban Meyer turning it over to Chris Ash to discuss "the difference in the program" to Ohio State freshmen. pic.twitter.com/Fvh3fQbLgl
— Eric Seger (@EricSeger33) August 10, 2015
The remaining members of Meyer's staff all preached the idea of a "loaded stance" to all the new players, demanding time and again that be their focus if nothing else on the first day of camp.
Other notes:
- The only members of Ohio State's 2015 recruiting class who did not practice Monday were defensive back Damon Arnette and defensive end Dre'Mont Jones. Arnette checked into the team hotel on crutches Sunday, while Jones is four months removed from ACL surgery.
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Freshmen offensive linemen Branden Bowen, Isaiah Prince and Kevin Feder are absolutely enormous. Bowen is listed at 6-foot-7 and 320 pounds, Prince 6-foot-7 and 305 pounds and Feder is 6-foot-9 and 305 pounds. All three looked every bit of that in their helmets, pants and practice jerseys.
Ohio State true freshmen OL Isaiah Prince (59), Branden Bowen (76) and Kevin Feder are massive humans: pic.twitter.com/fA0m33CgY4
— Tim Shoemaker (@TimShoemaker) August 10, 2015 - Feder, Prince and Bowen are easily the largest members of the class, but many other freshmen look the part, too. Jerome Baker, Jashon Cornell and Rashod Berry are big, cut and athletic specimens.
- Quarterback Torrance Gibson looks remarkably stronger than he did when he graduated high school three months ago. The left-hander has clearly added muscle in Mickey Marotti's offseason weight training program.
- When Kerry Coombs wasn't yelling about loaded stances, his took time to let blue-chip recruit and linebacker Justin Hilliard know "We're not at that little private school anymore."
- After Ash delivered the "difference in the program" speech and Meyer broke the huddle, the head coach was found screaming to the defensive backs to get more reps: "What the hell we doing?"
- Meyer spent noticeable time with each position group in the hour the media saw practice.
- In the first backfield session, Gibson took the first snaps and handed off to senior walk-on Jeffie Johnson, with Joe Burrow and Mike Weber watching.
- At the beginning of warmups, Cardale Jones roamed the sidelines watching Burrow and Gibson.
Ohio State's upperclassmen take the field around 3 p.m. Monday. A press conference with Meyer follows shortly thereafter along with interviews with Tim Beck, Cardale Jones, J.T. Barrett and Ezekiel Elliott.
Stay tuned to Eleven Warriors all day for continuing coverage from Day 1 of Ohio State's fall camp.
