Linebacker Joey Velazquez Has Black Stripe Removed

Walk-on linebacker Joey Velazquez became an “official” member of the team on Wednesday when he had his black stripe removed.

https://twitter.com/OhioStateFB/status/1831476587671552026

Velazquez transferred to Ohio State from Michigan, where he played both football and baseball. A standout in the batter’s box, Velazquez started in 63 of 80 games for the Wolverines baseball team between 2022-2023, hitting .277 with eight doubles and five home runs.

On the gridiron, Velazquez played in 11 games for the 2022 Wolverines, mainly on special teams, but got in as a linebacker in five games.

Even though Velazquez came to Ohio State as a transfer from Michigan, he always had a connection to Ohio State having been coached in middle school football by former Ohio State basketball player, Eric Hanna.

Velazquez joined the Buckeyes as a transfer in the spring. The linebacker briefly made an appearance in Ohio State’s 52-6 win over Akron on Saturday, and will look to continue to make an impact behind linebackers, Arvell Reese, C.J. Hicks, Sonny Styles and Cody Simon and Gabe Powers.