Ohio State Football: Buckeyes' 2016 Offseason Summer Checklist

With a number of key players working their way back to full health and the height of recruiting season on the horizon, head coach Urban Meyer and the Ohio State Buckeyes are on the brink of a busy and pivotal summer in Columbus.

The championship expectations haven't faded for Buckeye nation, even after Ohio State sent a historic 12 players to the NFL draft and lost 16 starters total. That's because quarterback J.T. Barrett is back as the clear leader of a young but explosively talented team.

True, on-field preparation for the 2016 season won't commence until the start of fall camp, so what should Meyer and the Buckeyes focus on over the next two months? 

Get (and Stay) Healthy

Ohio State escaped the spring session relatively intact, at least from the first-team perspective, as the only major injury befell third-string quarterback Stephen Collier (ACL tear). 

Meanwhile, a trio of key wideouts—Noah Brown, Corey Smith and Curtis Samuel—spent the spring working their way back from injuries that either ended or hindered their 2015 campaigns.

Brown and Smith both suffered season-ending broken legs. Brown's injury came in fall camp, derailing what many anticipated to be a breakout year for the bulldozing playmaker. Smith stepped up in his absence, but he suffered the same injury in Week 5 against Indiana.

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Samuel, however, fought his way through a nagging foot injury that required surgery after Ohio State's Fiesta Bowl win over Notre Dame. He's expected to make a full recovery, as are Brown and Smith, and be ready to go when fall camp opens.

On the other side of the ball, defensive end Tyquan Lewis spent the spring rehabbing from shoulder surgery, and Marshon Lattimore, who's battling for the open cornerback position, rested throughout spring practice as he tested his bothersome hamstring.

With so many players on the mend this spring, Meyer expressed frustration about trying to piece together a two-deep rotation.

"With 11 guys out, that's the thing that kicks you in the teeth," Meyer said, according to Eric Seger of Eleven Warriors. "If everybody's ready to go, I think you could do that. But we're not."

Meyer doesn't want that frustration to stretch into fall camp, because the Buckeyes will need to come out firing on all cylinders with an early date at Oklahoma on the schedule. Getting healthy, and then staying healthy, has to be the top priority.

Get the Freshmen Acclimated

Seven recruits from Ohio State's 25-member and fourth-ranked recruiting class graduated high school early to participate in winter workouts and spring practice. This month, the other 18 freshmen will report to campus for summer conditioning.

That group will be headlined by the crown jewel of Ohio State's 2016 recruiting efforts—5-star defensive end Nick Bosa. The younger brother of former superstar Buckeye Joey Bosa, Nick Bosa is expected to come in and provide immediate depth in the rotation behind Sam Hubbard on the strong side.

It doesn't stop there, of course. There's 4-star all-purpose back Demario McCall, who could provide a boost at H-back. There's Dwayne Haskins, the 4-star quarterback who will need to engage early with the injury to Collier and no proven option behind Barrett and backup Joe Burrow. And 4-stars Binjimen Victor (wideout), Keandre Jones (linebacker), Jake Hausmann and Luke Farrell (tight ends) and Jordan Fuller (cornerback) all have the talent and opportunity to see the playing field this year.

The key for these young guys will be their transition to the speed at the collegiate level. That is, across the board, the biggest adjustment for first-year players to make when embarking on their college careers.

The faster that adjustment is made, the sooner (and more significant) the impact they'll be able to make.

Build on the Recruiting Momentum

While the coaching staff works to get its 2016 recruiting class up to speed, it will continue its pursuit of signing the country's No. 1 class for the 2017 cycle.

The Buckeyes got off to a roaring start this year, and with 13 verbal pledges already in the fold, they have a firm grasp on the top spot in the rankings. The class is anchored by a pair of 5-star standouts—offensive tackle Josh Myers and cornerback Shaun Wade—the No. 4- and No. 13-ranked recruits in the country, respectively.

Credit: 247Sports

And while the Buckeyes have a commanding lead in the race for the No. 1 recruiting class, they haven't gained a verbal commitment since early March, when 4-star all-purpose back J.K. Dobbins pulled the trigger.

But the summer months are when the Ohio State staff get to see a lot of their top targets, whether on visits or on the camp circuit. That's when Ohio State could see its class grow.

One of Meyer's top targets is 5-star wide receiver Trevon Grimes, and the Buckeyes have a great opportunity to seal the deal this month. They'll be at his school—St. Thomas Aquinas in Fort Lauderdale, Florida—later this month to host a satellite camp, and a few weeks later, he'll be up in Columbus with his family to visit the campus, according to Andrew Ellis of Eleven Warriors.

If things go well, the Buckeyes, who are listed as the enormous favorite to earn his commitment, via 247Sports' "crystal ball" predictions, have a good chance to close the deal before month's end.

Other players such as 5-star quarterback Tate Martell and 5-star safety/wide receiver Jeffrey Okudah could pull the trigger sooner rather than later.

With the scholarship crunch Ohio State is undergoing this year, Meyer has to be selective with the open spots in the 2017 class. But if any of the Buckeyes' top targets want to pull the trigger this summer, Ohio State's quest for the top class will remain on track.

All recruiting information via 247Sports.

David Regimbal is the lead Ohio State football writer for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter @davidreg412.