The sun continued to bear down on Columbus on Sunday afternoon as Ohio State's upperclassmen — and a few freshmen — trotted out to the grass field at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center Sunday afternoon for their first practice of 2016 fall camp. The rest of the freshmen and newcomers did the same thing Sunday morning.
For the second time on the day, Ohio State allotted roughly an hour for media to view practice. The bulk of it consisted of stretching and individual work after punt team but here are some takeaways.
- Urban Meyer welcomed back and recognized Noah Brown, Erick Smith, Corey Smith, Dontre Wilson and Cam Burrows in the team huddle before practice with a high-five. Each battled back from injuries this offseason.
- Freshman offensive lineman Michael Jordan no longer has a black stripe on his helmet. It is unclear when he lost it but it is not all that surprising since he ran with the first-team offensive line this spring.
- The first-team offensive line on Day 1 of camp was the same as it was when spring drills ended. From left to right: Jamarco Jones, Michael Jordan, Pat Elflein, Billy Price, Isaiah Prince. Only Jones, Elflein and Price are known starters at this time.
- Price joined Elflein and Brady Taylor at the beginning of practice snapping the football.
- Players that led stretching lines before practice: Sean Nuernberger, Joe Burger, Craig Fada, Cam Burrows, Gareon Conley, Malik Hooker, Tracy Sprinkle, Sam Hubbard, Tyquan Lewis, Mike Weber, Dontre Wilson, Noah Brown, Isaiah Prince, Billy Price, Jamarco Jones, Pat Elflein, Marcus Baugh and J.T. Barrett
- Before opening with quick cals, strength coach Mickey Marotti turned to Craig Fada who yelled, "The boys are f***ing back!"
- Both running backs coach Tony Alford and quarterbacks coach Tim Beck swatted the players in their position groups with padded bats as they held footballs during warmups.
- Kerry Coombs' credo for the afternoon practice: "It's not a good day, but a great day to be a Buckeye."
- Punt returners: Dontre Wilson, Marshon Lattimore, K.J. Hill and Noah Brown
- Pat Elflein wore a brace on his left shoulder, which could become the norm. He had a cyst removed from that shoulder this spring.
- Coaches instructed the players to stop, take off their helmets and drink plenty of water following the first period of practice due to the heat.
- Both Noah Brown and Corey Smith participated fully in practice. Each broke his leg last season — Brown during training camp and Smith in Ohio State's 31-24 victory at Indiana in October.
- Dontre Wilson looked crisp, healthy and fit in drill work. He sliced in and out of cuts when working with receivers and then moved to running back during backfield action.
- Mike Weber took first reps at running back alongside J.T. Barrett during backfield action, followed by Antonio Williams, Curtis Samuel and Wilson.
- Defensive line depth chart (left to right): Tyquan Lewis, Tracy Sprinkle, Mike Hill, Sam Hubbard. Second team: Jalyn Holmes, Dre'Mont Jones, Davon Hamilton, Darius Slade. Rashod Berry and Jashon Cornell worked in behind them.
- At linebacker, Chris Worley and Dante Booker flanked Raekwon McMillan with the first team. Jerome Baker, Craig Fada and Joe Burger made up the second team. Nick Conner and Justin Hilliard came in behind them.
- Gareon Conley led the way in the secondary at corner, while Marshon Lattimore and Denzel Ward alternated snaps with the first team in pursuit drills. Damon Webb and Malik Hooker led the way at safety.
- Damon Arnette, Cam Burrows, Erick Smith and Eric Glover-Williams ran with the second team.
- Erick Smith, Cam Burrows and Nick Conner all fully participated. Each rehabbed from injuries in the offseason.
- Pat Elflein appears to be an extension of new offensive line coach Greg Studrawa. When Branden Bowen did not do a drill correctly, Elflein corrected him before Studrawa said anything. Studrawa: "Listen to your center. He told you what you did wrong so I don't have to."
- Additionally, Elflein got on the younger offensive linemen often for toughness: "Good thing you brought your purse today."
- Everyone that was supposed to be at practice this afternoon was there, except for punter Cameron Johnston. He graduated this afternoon and practiced in the morning with the freshmen and newcomers as a result. Freshman Drue Chrisman served as the team's punter Sunday afternoon.
- Urban Meyer spent more time on the defensive side of the field then offense during the portion media watched. Toward the end, he went over to the quarterbacks and running backs to watch backfield action closely.
Meyer and Barrett are scheduled to field questions from reporters at approximately 5:35 p.m. Stick with Eleven Warriors for full coverage later on this evening.
Check out all of our fall camp coverage here.
