Freshmen continue to show progress
Receiver, linebacker latest to have black stripe removed at OSU.
More members of Ohio State’s highly-regarded freshman class are joining the ranks of full team members.
Emeka Egbuka and Reid Carrico became the fourth and fifth true freshmen to have the black stripes removed from their helmets during spring practice, a rite of passage that was introduced by Urban Meyer when he became head coach of the Buckeyes.
Ryan Day has maintained the practice and seen newcomers come of age on both sides of the ball so far this spring.
Egbuka is a five-star prospect from Steilacoom, Washington, and the second-highest-rated recruit in Ohio State’s 2021 class behind defensive end Jack Sawyer of Pickerington North.
Egbuka is the top-rated receiver in the country in his class and ranked No. 9 among all players.
The other member of the class to have his stripe removed Tuesday was Reid Carrico, a four-star linebacker from Ironton.
Carrico is the No. 3-rated prospect in Ohio, 86th nationally and the No. 5 linebacker in the country.
He snagged an interception during the portion of practice that was open to some reporters Monday.
Both likely face a wait for playing time as they are part of deep position groups.
That is especially true of Egbuka, who is one of four five-star receiver recruits signed in the past three years.
Garrett Wilson and Chris Olave, the Big Ten’s top two receivers last season, are both back along with fellow starter Jameson Williams while a big group of firstand second-year players are vying for spots on the two-deep.
Four veterans graduated from the linebacker room, but coach Al Washington still has eight scholarship players to work with this spring.
That includes three seniors who were four-star recruits that have been waiting their turn for playing time.
Ohio State’s 2021 class ranked No. 2 in the nation and No. 1 in the Big Ten.
Previously having their black stripes removed were Sawyer, receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. and running back TreVeyon Henderson.
The 14 freshmen who enrolled early are in a unique position because they are trying to get acclimated to college football at a time when the rest of the roster is trying to deal with essentially losing a year of development opportunities.
With spring football wrapping up this week, Day is happy with what he has seen, and he expressed optimism the final week would be productive.
“This stretch that we’ve had is where you get better, where it’s not the spring game, it’s not the beginning of camp,” Day said. “It’s hard. It’s working. We’re working through some guys who are bumped and bruised — and this is where you get better, so guys are getting better across the board.”