\n Only two freshmen have ever lost their black stripe faster than Brock Boyd. Both of them went on to become superstar wide receivers at Ohio State. <\/p>\n
\n\tBy losing his black stripe after just six spring practices as a Buckeye, Boyd became the third-fastest freshman to shed his stripe since Urban Meyer started the tradition in 2012. The only two Buckeyes to lose their stripes earlier in the spring: Jeremiah Smith (four practices) and Carnell Tate (five practices).\n<\/p>\n
\n\tBoyd is the only fourth true freshman to shed his black stripe in March; the other was also a wide receiver, Austin Mack, who became the first-ever freshman to lose his black stripe in the spring when he did so exactly 10 years ago on March 31, 2016.\n<\/p>\n
The kid from TX has that IT factor, Zone 6 keeps adding to the list Welcome, @BrockBoyd_2<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/FT0qSCmaXy<\/a>\n\t<\/p>\n \t\u2014 Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) March 31, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n \n\tIf the history of freshmen who lost their stripes so quickly is any indication, it\u2019s a good time to buy stock in Boyd if you haven\u2019t already.\n<\/p>\n \n\tSmith followed up his historically fast stripe-shedding with the best freshman season in Ohio State history, catching 76 passes for 1,315 yards and 15 touchdowns, including the game-sealing 56-yard catch on 3rd-and-11 in Ohio State\u2019s national championship win over Notre Dame. Entering his junior season, Smith is well on his way to becoming Ohio State\u2019s greatest wide receiver ever, needing just 43 catches, 341 yards and nine touchdown catches to break OSU\u2019s school records in all three categories.\n<\/p>\n \t\tFirst Freshman to Lose Black Stripe By Year<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tYear<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tPos<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tPlayer<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tDate<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t2026<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tWR<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tBROCK BOYD<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tMARCH 31<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t2025<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tWR<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tQUINCY PORTER<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tAPRIL 5<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t2024<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tWR<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tJEREMIAH SMITH<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tMARCH 21<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t2023<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tWR<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tCARNELL TATE<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tMARCH 25<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t2022<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tS<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tKYE STOKES<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tAPRIL 8<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t2021<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tDE<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tJACK SAWYER<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tAPRIL 6<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t2021<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tWR<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tMARVIN HARRISON JR.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tAPRIL 6<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t2020<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tWR<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tJAXON SMITH-NJIGBA<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tSEPT. 21<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t2020<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tS<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tKOURT WILLIAMS<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tSEPT. 21<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t2019<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tWR<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tGARRETT WILSON<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tAPRIL 8<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t2018<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tDT<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tTOMMY TOGIAI<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tAPRIL 11<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t2017<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tRB<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tJ.K. DOBBINS<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tAUG. 4<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t2016<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tWR<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tAUSTIN MACK<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tMARCH 31<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t2015<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tOT<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tISAIAH PRINCE<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tAUG. 13<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t2014<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tLB<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tRAEKWON MCMILLAN<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tAUG. 10<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t2014<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tHB<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tCURTIS SAMUEL<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tAUG. 10<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t2013<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tWR<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tJOE RAMSTETTER<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tAUG. 8<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t2012<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tWR<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tDE’VAN BOGARD<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tAUG. 9<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t2012<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tDE<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tNOAH SPENCER<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tAUG. 9<\/p>\n \n\tSmith\u2019s March 21, 2024 stripe removal broke the record for the fastest freshman stripe removal set one year earlier by Tate, who had his stripe removed on March 25, 2023, after just five practices as a Buckeye. Tate didn\u2019t make quite as big of an impact as Smith as a freshman, catching 18 passes for 264 yards and one touchdown as Ohio State\u2019s No. 4 receiver, but became a superstar over his final two seasons as a Buckeye. He\u2019s now projected as a top-10 pick in the 2026 NFL draft after catching 103 passes for 1,608 yards and 13 touchdowns over the last two seasons.\n<\/p>\n \n\tMack had a quiet freshman year after his black stripe removal, and his career never reached the same heights as Smith and Tate. Still, he had a quality career for the Buckeyes, catching 77 passes for 1,035 yards and six touchdowns over his final three seasons at Ohio State.\n<\/p>\n \n\tBoyd joins a list of freshman wide receivers who lost their black stripe before anyone else in their class that also includes single-season receiving record holder Jaxon Smith-Njigba,\u00a0two-time unanimous All-American Marvin Harrison Jr. and another top-10 NFL draft pick in Garrett Wilson.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n \n\tWhat makes Boyd\u2019s early stripe removal so eye-opening is that he didn\u2019t arrive at Ohio State with nearly the hype that any of those receivers had entering their careers as Buckeyes. Smith was always expected to be an immediate star at Ohio State as the No. 1 overall recruit in the 2024 class. Wilson and Smith-Njigba were\u00a0composite five-star prospects,\u00a0and\u00a0Tate was also\u00a0rated as a five-star prospect by 247Sports.\u00a0Harrison and Mack were\u00a0both\u00a0top-100 national recruits. Boyd, on the other hand, was a three-star recruit ranked as the No. 729 overall prospect<\/a> in 247Sports\u2019 composite rankings.\n<\/p>\n \n\tBut that hasn\u2019t stopped Boyd from making such a strong early impression that he became one of the fastest freshmen to \u201cofficially\u201d earn Buckeye status in the 15-year history of the black stripe tradition.\n<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cWell, he got his black stripe off today, so I’m sure that\u2019ll be a headliner,\u201d Ryan Day said, accurately, when asked about Boyd during his press conference on Tuesday. \u201cHe made another couple big plays today. This is somebody who knows how to run a route. He’s serious about it. He can play multiple positions. And he’s productive. His dad’s a receiver coach, and he plays that way. But he’s got quick twitch. He can change direction. He’s got strong hands. I’m excited to see where his career goes. But he’s off to a great start.\u201d\n<\/p>\n \n\t\tRyan Day praised Brock Boyd after Ohio State’s sixth spring practice.<\/p>\n “He’s got quick twitch. He can change direction. He’s got strong hands,” Day said. “I’m excited to see where his career goes, but he’s off to a great start.” pic.twitter.com\/o0v4IibuSB<\/a>\n\t<\/p>\n