Two Ohio State freshmen shed their black stripes on Wednesday, becoming โofficialโ members of the team. Safety Leroy Roker and wide receiver Mylan Graham are the first two freshmen who enrolled in the summer to shed their black stripes.
Roker came into Columbus as a three-star prospect out of Fort Myers, Fla., and was the No. 836 overall recruit in the country and the 88th-best safety according to 247Sports composite ranking.
He is competing in a safety room that includes Caleb Downs and Lathan Ransom as the starters with Jayden Bonsu, Malik Hartford, Jaylen McClain and Keenan Nelson Jr. also fighting for playing time during what could be a 16-17 game season where depth will be very important.
Graham may have been one of the more overlooked players in Ohio Stateโs 2024 recruiting class since he committed in the same class as Jeremiah Smith, who has had many eye-popping catches already in his time with the Buckeyes, but Graham also came into Columbus as a five-star receiver.
He was the 33rd-ranked player in the country, the No. 7 wide receiver and the No. 1 player in the state of Indiana coming out of New Haven High School.
While Ohio State seems to always be loaded at wide receiver in recent years, itโs still a possibility that Graham could find his way onto the field for limited time in his freshman season with his talent.
Roker and Graham are the eighth and ninth freshmen to lose their black stripes since the beginning of the spring, joining Smith โ the fastest freshman ever to shed his โ Julian Sayin, McClain, Eddrick Houston, James Peoples, Payton Pierce and Ian Moore.
Also losing their black stripe in the spring were wide receiver Brennen Schramm, Downs, running back Quinshon Judkins, quarterback Will Howard, center Seth McLaughlin, tight end Will Kacmarek and defensive tackle Will Smith Jr.
