Future Ohio State star loses his black stripe after practice on Tuesday.
We covered the black stripe tradition once, and we are going to continue to cover it, as it is the formal welcome for a new player into the Ohio State Football program.
It is a major deal for all of the newcomers, whether they are transfers or freshmen, that they are now officially a part of the program. For a freshman, it is rare that it happens quickly at all. Sometimes you will see guys go all the way through their first season until they lose it.
That wasn't the case on Tuesday for true freshman Brock Boyd.
Boyd hails from Southlake, Texas, and has really been one of the main talking points so far in Ohio State's camp. He is just a three-star prospect and stands at 6'1", weighing 184 pounds.
He has a lot of room to grow and mature from that perspective, but he is proving that he might have a legitimate part of the Ohio State offense in 2026.
The Buckeyes' receiver room is a major question mark heading into next season. After Jeremiah Smith, there is virtually no consistent production from any of the players in that room.
Brandon Inniss will have the first chance to take the lead role behind Smith, and then transfer Kyle Parker from LSU, and Devin McCuin from UTSA will get their shot at it.
After those three, it's up to one of the freshmen to make a move, and initial reports are that Boyd is appearing to be ready to compete for the Buckeyes next year.
The hope is that he and Chris Henry Jr. are both immediate home runs, but that might not be a realistic possibility. Instead, it is probably more likely that one or the other will take center stage first.
It's been an impressive start to his time in Columbus. For what it is worth, Boyd lost his stripe on March 31st, while Jeremiah Smith lost his just 10 days prior, on March 21st, 2024.
The Buckeyes don't just hand this honor out. It must be earned, and the fact that he earned it so quickly means that he has something to his game.
If the hype is real, the Buckeyes may have found themselves another elite receiver just to add to their already decorated lineage of pass catchers.
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