Ohio State football kicks off spring practice

The Ohio State Buckeyes and coach Urban Meyer will open 2016 spring practice on March 8, the school announced on Wednesday.

(Marvin Fong, The Plain Dealer)

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- We're officially less than two months away from what's going to be an interesting spring period for the Ohio State football team.

The Buckeyes announced on Wednesday that spring practice will begin on Tuesday, March 8. The annual spring football game will be played on Saturday, April 16 at Ohio Stadium.

This spring could be the most interesting one of Urban Meyer's tenure at Ohio State. Nine players from last year's team declared early for the NFL Draft. Combine that with the seniors who have left, and the Buckeyes have plenty of spots available for players who haven't played yet.

Compared to last spring, when almost every starting spot was spoken for, this spring will be compelling and important to set the tone for the 2016 season.

Sixteen of 22 starters from the 2015 season are gone. Jobs can be won in spring practice by players who haven't seen a lot of time yet. That includes the seven early enrollees who joined the program this week.

We'll of course provide you with coverage throughout spring ball, but we took a stab at projecting the 2016 depth chart once all of the draft departures were announced:

* 2016 offensive depth chart projection

* 2016 defensive depth chart projection

Here are more key 2016 dates for the Buckeyes:

* Wednesday, Feb. 3: National Signing Day

* Feb. 23-29: NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis

* Tuesday, March 8: Start of spring practice

* Saturday, April 16: Spring football game at Ohio Stadium

* April 28-30: 2016 NFL Draft in Chicago

* Saturday, Sept. 3: 2016 season opener vs. Bowling Green at Ohio Stadium