Michael Citro
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Few surprises so far among spring black stripe removals for Ohio State
Michael Citro via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Jason Mowry/Getty Images
The new Buckeyes who have officially had their helmet stripes removed so far are the ones you’d expect.
Through Student Appreciation Day on Saturday, six new Buckeyes have traded in their black helmet stripes for scarlet ones, continuing the tradition Urban Meyer made famous at Ohio State. Young men who arrive on campus have been issued helmets with black stripes, and have to earn their way to “official” Buckeye status by proving themselves to the group.
Of the six who have had their stripes removed so far this spring, four are transfers and one is prized five-star wide receiver Jeremiah Smith, who has been turning heads since his arrival.
Smith was the first to see his black stripe removed back on March 21. Having only taken part in four practices in the spring at that point, the true freshman set a new record for the fastest to shed the stripe, besting last year’s freshman phenom, Carnell Tate, who did it after five spring practices.
The second to lose his stripe was perhaps the most surprising of the six so far. Redshirt freshman and preferred walk-on receiver Brennen Schramm had his black stripe removed the same day as Smith. Schramm, an all-state player from Medina, Ohio in 2021 and 2022, isn’t a big name, but he racked up more than 3,000 yards receiving in high school, playing with current Penn State quarterback Drew Allar. Schramm eclipsed the 1,000-yard receiving mark in each of his final two seasons.
The next four to lose their stripes were all transfer players. The trend was started by safety Caleb Downs and running back Quinshon Judkins on March 26. Neither is even mildly surprising.
Downs was a freshman All-American at Alabama and the top portal player, finishing the 2023 season with more than 100 tackles to his credit — enough to lead the Crimson Tide in that category by 40 (!) tackles over second place. Judkins, a two-time 1,000-yard rusher who transferred in from Ole Miss, was the first SEC player since Herschel Walker 15 or more rushing touchdowns in his first two seasons. He’s only the third player in Ole Miss history to rack up consecutive 1,000-yard seasons.
Neither Downs nor Judkins are surprising candidates to lose their stripes early. The two who followed them are hardly shocking either.
Quarterback Will Howard and center Seth McLaughlin each had their stripes removed on Saturday, continuing this spring’s pattern of either nobody having their stripes removed or two guys earning the milestone.
Howard shedding his stripe might bring a little calm to an Ohio State fanbase that has quickly become used to high-level quarterback play, but seemed unsure about the Kansas State transfer. Although Howard didn’t have nearly the supporting cast that Kyle McCord had last year, the grad transfer put up similar numbers, with the added bonus that he has shown a willingness to go and get the tough yards with his legs when necessary.
An upgrade in talent around him and the combined tutelage of Ryan Day and Chip Kelly should improve Howard’s stats, and him becoming one of the first players to earn his stripe removal is a good sign.
McLaughlin, an Alabama transfer like Downs and quarterback Julian Sayin — who could see his stripe removed soon based on reports of his progress out of spring camp — is another unsurprising black stripe removal candidate. Like Howard’s, McLaughlin’s transfer drew mixed reviews online from Buckeye fans, who remembered a poor snap costing Alabama a scoring chance in the College Football Playoff against the hated Wolverines.
By coming in and working hard to get his stripe removed quickly, McLaughlin showed that he may yet win over his critics among the OSU faithful.
What does all of the above mean? In the grand scheme of things: not much. It simply means that the players one would reasonably expect to be impressing early are doing so. The four transfers and Smith are all projected to see a lot of snaps in 2024. As such, it’s encouraging that they have showed up and quickly put in the work to earn their way into becoming full-blooded Buckeyes.
Conversely, it doesn’t mean players who have yet to shed their stripes won’t have an impact this fall. It simply means they’ve got some work to do.
So, who’s next?
Julian Sayin seems to be getting close based on reports out of camp. The freshman is turning heads and seems to already be pushing the veterans, if not outright passing some of them. Fellow freshman quarterback Air Noland may not be next, but he could see his stripe removed this spring as well, although he’s not drawing as rave reviews as other signal callers in camp just yet.
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Michael Citro via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Jason Mowry/Getty Images
The new Buckeyes who have officially had their helmet stripes removed so far are the ones you’d expect.
Through Student Appreciation Day on Saturday, six new Buckeyes have traded in their black helmet stripes for scarlet ones, continuing the tradition Urban Meyer made famous at Ohio State. Young men who arrive on campus have been issued helmets with black stripes, and have to earn their way to “official” Buckeye status by proving themselves to the group.
Of the six who have had their stripes removed so far this spring, four are transfers and one is prized five-star wide receiver Jeremiah Smith, who has been turning heads since his arrival.
Smith was the first to see his black stripe removed back on March 21. Having only taken part in four practices in the spring at that point, the true freshman set a new record for the fastest to shed the stripe, besting last year’s freshman phenom, Carnell Tate, who did it after five spring practices.
The second to lose his stripe was perhaps the most surprising of the six so far. Redshirt freshman and preferred walk-on receiver Brennen Schramm had his black stripe removed the same day as Smith. Schramm, an all-state player from Medina, Ohio in 2021 and 2022, isn’t a big name, but he racked up more than 3,000 yards receiving in high school, playing with current Penn State quarterback Drew Allar. Schramm eclipsed the 1,000-yard receiving mark in each of his final two seasons.
The next four to lose their stripes were all transfer players. The trend was started by safety Caleb Downs and running back Quinshon Judkins on March 26. Neither is even mildly surprising.
Downs was a freshman All-American at Alabama and the top portal player, finishing the 2023 season with more than 100 tackles to his credit — enough to lead the Crimson Tide in that category by 40 (!) tackles over second place. Judkins, a two-time 1,000-yard rusher who transferred in from Ole Miss, was the first SEC player since Herschel Walker 15 or more rushing touchdowns in his first two seasons. He’s only the third player in Ole Miss history to rack up consecutive 1,000-yard seasons.
Neither Downs nor Judkins are surprising candidates to lose their stripes early. The two who followed them are hardly shocking either.
Quarterback Will Howard and center Seth McLaughlin each had their stripes removed on Saturday, continuing this spring’s pattern of either nobody having their stripes removed or two guys earning the milestone.
Howard shedding his stripe might bring a little calm to an Ohio State fanbase that has quickly become used to high-level quarterback play, but seemed unsure about the Kansas State transfer. Although Howard didn’t have nearly the supporting cast that Kyle McCord had last year, the grad transfer put up similar numbers, with the added bonus that he has shown a willingness to go and get the tough yards with his legs when necessary.
An upgrade in talent around him and the combined tutelage of Ryan Day and Chip Kelly should improve Howard’s stats, and him becoming one of the first players to earn his stripe removal is a good sign.
McLaughlin, an Alabama transfer like Downs and quarterback Julian Sayin — who could see his stripe removed soon based on reports of his progress out of spring camp — is another unsurprising black stripe removal candidate. Like Howard’s, McLaughlin’s transfer drew mixed reviews online from Buckeye fans, who remembered a poor snap costing Alabama a scoring chance in the College Football Playoff against the hated Wolverines.
By coming in and working hard to get his stripe removed quickly, McLaughlin showed that he may yet win over his critics among the OSU faithful.
What does all of the above mean? In the grand scheme of things: not much. It simply means that the players one would reasonably expect to be impressing early are doing so. The four transfers and Smith are all projected to see a lot of snaps in 2024. As such, it’s encouraging that they have showed up and quickly put in the work to earn their way into becoming full-blooded Buckeyes.
Conversely, it doesn’t mean players who have yet to shed their stripes won’t have an impact this fall. It simply means they’ve got some work to do.
So, who’s next?
Julian Sayin seems to be getting close based on reports out of camp. The freshman is turning heads and seems to already be pushing the veterans, if not outright passing some of them. Fellow freshman quarterback Air Noland may not be next, but he could see his stripe removed this spring as well, although he’s not drawing as rave reviews as other signal callers in camp just yet.
Continue reading...