Ohio State Football: First Impressions from 2016 Fall Camp

Ohio State's preparation for the 2016 season is officially underway, as head coach Urban Meyer and the Buckeyes kicked off fall camp on Sunday. 

And despite checking in at No. 5 in the preseason Amway Coaches Poll behind playoff contenders Alabama, Clemson, Oklahoma and Florida State, the Buckeyes have a lot more questions than answers as they work to replace 16 starters from last year's 12-1 squad.

What were the biggest takeaways from the first few practices of fall camp?

New Year, New Motto: "The Edge"

Since Meyer took over at Ohio State in 2012, he's given each of his teams its own mantra as a motivational tactic.

Up until the 2014 season, that motto was "The Chase," something that signified the Buckeyes' pursuit of college football's top spot. After the Buckeyes reached that goal by winning the first-ever College Football Playoff, Meyer fueled his team with "The Grind" for the 2015 campaign—a fitting phrase for Ohio State's grueling and laborious effort to repeat as playoff champions.

This year's motto: "The Edge."

"The whole mantra for our team this summer…the whole thing is going to be ‘The Edge.’ And ‘The Edge’ is where the average stops and elite begins," Meyer explained, according to Nicholas McWilliams of the Lantern. "The great players we’ve been around and individuals, that’s when those (guys) become their best."

That attitude was on display during Ohio State's first practice on Sunday.

With eight new starters needed on each side of the ball, "The Edge" is a fitting mantra for this team. Meyer only has three-and-a-half weeks before the Buckeyes kick off their season against Bowling Green, so he needs to figure out who's ready to step into the spotlight sooner rather than later.

Some Freshmen Are More Ready Than Others

In the spirit of setting "The Edge," the coaching staff sent a message to the Buckeyes' incoming recruiting class on Sunday.

Every year, the new freshmen meet for a separate practice on the first day of fall camp, while the non-rookies meet later in the day. It's a way of easing the freshmen into full swing while giving the coaches an opportunity to see their new players in a more controlled environment.

But three members from Ohio State's 2016 recruiting class—offensive guard Michael Jordan, wide receiver Austin Mack and running back Antonio Williams—were bumped from the freshmen practice and ran with the older guys. That trio were among seven of the freshmen who enrolled early to take part in spring practice, and they're all in contention for starting spots or to be heavily involved in the two-deep rotation.

But it's not just those three who are expected to make an impact this year. As noted by Bill Landis of Cleveland.com, Meyer said that he wants to play 18 freshmen this year while noting this particular group is further ahead than last year's freshmen.

"Last year’s group was not very mature for whatever reason. And there a lot of reasons because they’re not bad people," Meyer said, according to Jacob Myers of the Lantern. He later added, "I think this is a more mature group because they see this as open season. Go beat someone out."

One particular player who's standing out is Nick Bosa, the 5-star defensive end and younger brother of former Buckeye Joey Bosa. From general posture to explosiveness, the similarities between the brothers are apparent when you watch Nick on the field. 

But co-defensive coordinator Luke Fickell spoke about the differences and highlighted something that should benefit Nick in his first year.

“He’s different than his brother,” Fickell said, via David Jablonski of the Dayton Daily News. “That’s not good or bad. Maybe he’s an inch shorter. Maybe he’s stronger. There’s a lot of give and take there. But I know personality-wise, he’s a guy who provides that charisma. I can assure you he’s got some great confidence in what he does.”

Clean Bill of Health

Ohio State was absolutely decimated by injuries during spring practice, as 11 guys who are expected to contribute this fall were working their way back into full swing. With so much attrition on the team and the urgency to identify new starters, Meyer compared it to getting kicked in the teeth, per Eric Seger of Eleven Warriors.

Fortunately for the Buckeyes, that issue hasn't carried over to fall camp.

It starts on the perimeter with wideouts Noah Brown and Corey Smith, both of whom suffered season-ending broken legs in 2015. Both will likely be starters if they can stay healthy, which is imperative for a team that's starved for playmaking ability.

Brown, who emerged as one of the team's top wideouts last year before going down before the opener, looks particularly good in practice so far.

H-backs Dontre Wilson and Curtis Samuel were also limited in spring practice, but they're back at it and should factor in heavily to the Buckeyes' game plan this year. With the thin depth at running back, both will be motioning into the backfield to spell Mike Weber this fall.

Defensive backs Erick Smith and Marshon Lattimore are back and competing for starting jobs in the secondary, defensive end Tyquan Lewis is manning the weak-side defensive end position, and no significant injuries have come up through the first three practices.

But the first week is always a low-risk time as the players go through padless and low-contact drills. Soon the hitting will start, and while that will help the coaching staff sharpen "The Edge," it will present a bigger chance of injury to players ahead of the season.

And with so many unproven entities on the roster, Meyer and the coaching staff will place a premium on safety throughout the rest of fall camp.

All recruiting rankings and information courtesy of 247Sports.

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