Depth Chart Projection: A Way Too Early Look at Ohio State's Starting 22 for 2016

Ohio State is one of the most veteran teams in college football this season, as Urban Meyer's club reloaded from the 2014 national championship en route to an 11-1 record.

The youngest players among the 2015 version of Ohio State's starting 22 were Raekwon McMillan and Curtis Samuel, both members of Meyer's 2014 recruiting class and thus true sophomores. Samuel is listed as a current starter at wide receiver along with two others on the depth chart — giving the Buckeyes 12 starters offensively.

We corrected that below. Since those two started this season, however, it's reasonable to expect them to do the same next year. However, with so many senior starters and talented underclassmen eligible for the NFL Draft, as many as 19 names from the two-deep could be gone next season.

LOSSES FROM STARTING LINEUP:

• SENIORS, OFFENSE: LT Taylor Decker, C Jacoby Boren, RT Chase Farris, TE Nick Vannett, H-B Braxton Miller
• ASSUMED EARLY ENTRANTS, OFFENSE: WR Michael Thomas, RB Ezekiel Elliott, WR Jalin Marshall
• POSSIBLE EARLY ENTRANTS, OFFENSE: RG Pat Elflein
• OTHER: QB Cardale Jones, WR Jeff Greene
• SENIORS, DEFENSE: DT Adolphus Washington, DT Tommy Schutt, DT Joel Hale, LB Joshua Perry
• ASSUMED EARLY ENTRANTS, DEFENSE: DE Joey Bosa, LB Darron Lee, S Vonn Bell
• POSSIBLE EARLY ENTRANTS, DEFENSE: CB Eli Apple

The 19 names that could be gone is a huge number, but was expected following the return of a few juniors off the 2014 title team and the wealth of skill top to bottom on the roster. With those players gone, a possible early 2016 depth chart looks likes this (if Elflein and Apple come back):

Author's Note: Five-star DL recruit Nick Bosa is left off this potential two-deep as a result of his ACL surgery. It is unknown if he'll be 100 percent by the time fall camp rolls around, the reason for his absence.