OHIO STATE head football coach Urban Meyer doesn’t have the same problem as Old Mother Hubbard. The Buckeyes’ football cupboard isn’t bare despite the departure of some key players for the NFL draft, and OSU’s recruiting class is ranked No. 2 in the Scout.com’s final ratings, second only to Alabama.

For the last few weeks, the Buckeyes’ coaching staff has watched how the recruits perform on the field.

The 14 practices, which began March 8, will culminate Saturday at 1:30 p.m. in the LiFE Sports Spring Game, presented by Nationwide at the Horseshoe. It’ll give the general public a chance to see the 2016 edition of the team.

Fans attending the game will have a chance for something extra as the tickets also will admit them to “Showdown at the Shoe,” a men’s lacrosse match between OSU and Michigan, beginning at 11 a.m.

The spring game will give fans the opportunity to cheer for the Scarlet or Gray team. It’s a win-win situation, because they are cheering for Ohio State players, regardless of the team selected.

The current team is the most inexperienced group that Meyer has encountered at the beginning of spring drills. This marks his fifth season at Ohio State as head coach, and his 15th overall as head coach.

Considering Meyer’s record, the Buckeye faithful undoubtedly are confident that things will work out well even though the team has only six returning starters – three on each side of the ball. The head coach has the highest winning percentage among active coaches with at least 10 years of experience at a four-year school, and it stands at .850; 154-27.

The team roster includes 39 linemen, but only 35 of them lettered on last season’s 12-1 Fiesta Bowl-winning team.

When the drills began, Meyer said, “There are some guys who haven’t done a whole lot who are going to have to play. So we try to put as much pressure on the players now because it’s not fair to put pressure on them in October. I hope there was more pressure on them (today) in their first padded practice than there is next fall in front of 110,000. But that’s our job; to make it very stressful. There are a lot of great athletes who don’t respond to stress very well.”

Not only does the coaching staff place pressure on the players, but there’s a visual incentive on the giant scoreboard in line with the team’s adopted spring theme of being in “the land of the wolves.” Pictured is a hot-breathing wolf, and later the animal was shown with a tasty meal on its chops. (Maybe a wolf was selected is because of the aim of having the Buckeyes become a howling success.)

According to an explanation by OSU strength and conditioning coach Mick Marotti: “Wolves … It’s kind of the motto. You’re out there in the wilderness … and you’ve got to survive. That’s part of our young guys and [will be] the mentality of our young guys in the offseason.”

Meyer has called the upcoming season as “the year of development.”

Included among the returning starters is junior quarterback J.T. Barrett, and he’s joined by center Pat Elflein, linebacker Raekwon McMillan, guard Billy Price, defensive end Tyguan Lewis and cornerback Gareon Conley.

Lewis was second to Joey Bosa in tackles for loss with 14. Bosa is one of the 14 Buckeyes – more than any other school – who participated in the NFL Search Combine in February. Among the players is running back Ezekiel Elliott, who is highly touted in the draft in which selections will be made April 28-30.

Another Bosa is among the new Buckeye players, and he’s Joey’s younger brother, Nick. A defensive lineman, he became a consensus five-star athlete at Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) St. Thomas Aquinas.

Also recruited was Jonathon Cooper, the highest rated player in Ohio in 2016. This defensive end from Gahanna Lincoln was selected for the All-USA Ohio football team, and USA Today named him as the state defensive player of the year.

Cooper probably will play as defensive end, but he said that he could play as a linebacker if necessary.

Other recruits from Ohio are Drue Chrisman, Cincinnati; Gavin Cupp, Leipsic; Luke Farrell, Perry; Malik Harrison, Columbus; Jake Hausmann, Cincinnati; Kierre Hawkins, Maple Heights; Demario McCall, North Ridgeville; and Jack Wohlabaugh, Cuyahoga Falls.

There are also recruits from New York, North Carolina, Florida, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Maryland, New Jersey, Virginia and Kentucky.

Just as it isn’t known how those in the NFL draft will play in the pros, there’s no crystal bowl to foretell the future of the OSU’s new recruits, but it’s bound to be interesting.