Ohio State has officially set its start date for spring practices.
The Buckeyes will start spring practice on March 19 and are holding April 17 as the date for their annual spring game at Ohio Stadium, though they have not yet determined whether any fans will be able to attend the game.
Ohio States football spring drills will begin March 19. We are holding April 17 as the date for a spring game, although at this time we dont have details as to what this game will look like from a fan/attendance perspective.
— Jerry Emig (@BuckeyeNotes) March 2, 2021
That means the Buckeyes will be practicing 15 times in 29 days as they take the field for their first offseason practices of 2021.
Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith said last week that Ohio State will not sell tickets for the spring game if it is able to host fans. If Ohio State is able to have fans in the Shoe on April 17, Smith said he is hoping Ohio State can host essential workers who have been on the front lines during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“If we’re allowed to have fans, we will not have a ticketed event,” Smith said. “It will not be one where we’ll charge. My hope is that we’ll have an opportunity to develop a strategy to recognize our front line people; our nurses, our doctors, our custodians, our bus drivers and all those people who have made so many sacrifices for us for a long time now. That would be my hope, is that we could come up with a strategy to recognize them and invite them to the spring game and of course, obviously the parents of our student-athletes. That’s kind of right now my thinking, but we’ve got a ways to go before we get to that point.”
Ohio State also plans to host its annual pro day for NFL draft prospects on March 30.
