Ohio State Buckeyes

Offensive lineman first Buckeye freshman to lose black stripe

Published Aug. 13, 2015 6:46 p.m. ET

Marcus Hartman

While Urban Meyer made it a point to maintain as many Ohio State traditions as he could when he arrived in Columbus in late 2011 to become the new head coach of the Buckeyes, he brought some of his own, too.

One of them is the black stripe program for freshmen, who wear black stripes on their helmets at the start of preseason practice

Having the black stripe removed has become a rite of passage signifying a rookie is ready to be considered a full member of the team.

This year the honor of first black stripe removed goes to Isaiah Prince, a highly regarded offensive line prospect who picked Ohio State on National Signing Day over offers from Alabama and Maryland.

A product of Greenbelt (Md.) Eleanor Roosevelt, Prince was identified earlier in the week by offensive coordinator and line coach Ed Warinner as making a positive early impression at tackle.

He is part of a large group of true freshmen offensive linemen who represent the future for a program that already boasted four returning starters from a unit that was one of the best in the country by the end of the 2014 season.

"Definitely a couple of them have enough talent to (earn a spot in the two-deep)," Warinner said Wednesday. "Then we’ll just see how they go through camp and if they can sustain. They all looked good today, but maybe Isaiah Prince might be a little bit ahead of the others.”