Ohio State coach Urban Meyer held his final press conference before Thursday's season opener at Indiana on Monday morning.
Meyer opened his press conference by sharing his thoughts for everyone affected by the storms over the weekend in Houston. He said he has been in touch with Kendall Sheffield's family, who has been affected by the storm, and has been trying to get in touch with Mike Vrabel.
There was some other big news from the start of his press conference:
Breaking News: Urban Meyer has shaved.
— Andrew Lind (@AndrewMLind) August 28, 2017
After that, Meyer began fielding football questions. Here's a sampling of what he said:
- Six wide receivers are considered starters for the season opener: Parris Campbell and K.J. Hill at the H, Austin Mack and Binjimen Victor at the X and Johnnie Dixon and Tracy McLaurin at the Z.
- Tate Martell, Brendon White, Thayer Munford, Shaun Wade and Jeffrey Okudah are just a few of the names Meyer listed as true freshmen who will be on the travel roster. Jaylen Harris, Trevon Grimes, Wyatt Davis are among the players "on the cusp" of making the travel roster.
- Branden Bowen stood out in the right guard competition, though Matt Burrell also made a push for the job.
- Meyer admitted that nine captains is "a lot" but said he is OK with having that many because he didn't want to deprive anyone deserving of that honor. Meyer agreed with the players his team voted for and said they all have leadership, maturity and toughness.
- Ohio State knows the specifics of Michael Hill's suspension but Meyer declined to make those specifics public at this time.
- Mike Weber is "very close" to 100 percent. Meyer declined to answer whether it's possible that J.K. Dobbins could start Thursday's game.
- Redshirt sophomore linebacker Justin Hilliard, who is not on the two-deep depth chart, is still "in the mix" but needs to "earn his stripes in the kicking game."
- True freshman offensive lineman Josh Myers, who is also not on the two-deep depth chart, still has "a ways to go."
- Ohio State felt better about moving Brandon Bowen to tackle because of how Thayer Munford has performed in his first camp.
Check back with Eleven Warriors this afternoon for further coverage from the Woody Hayes Athletic Center, as Ohio State's nine newly elected captains are scheduled to meet with the media after Meyer's press conference.
Ohio State also released its full Week 1 depth chart this morning.
