Ohio State goes into 2024 with high expectations. One of the reasons is freshman wide receiver Jeremiah Smith. He is the number one overall recruit from this class and, so far, is living up to the hype. Smith has impressed so much that he has lost his “black stripe” in record time.
Ohio State Freshman Jeremiah Smith Loses His Black Stripe
The “black stripe” tradition was developed by then-head coach Urban Meyer in 2012. Freshmen come in with a black stripe on their helmets. They are only able to remove it once they prove they are a hard-working teammate. Sometimes, top recruits come in with a sense of entitlement. This is not the case for Smith. His black stripe came off after just four practices, breaking the previous record of five held by wide receiver Carnell Tate. It is a great sign for a program that has been cranking out quality receivers in the past decade.
Pressure On The Buckeyes
There is a lot of pressure on Ryan Day and the Buckeyes this year. Their hated rival, the Michigan Wolverines, have beaten them the past three years. Despite having a plethora of talent on the roster, they can never seem to win when it matters most. Day’s record against good teams isn’t where fans want it to be. Now that Jim Harbaugh is gone and given the offseason the program had, there are no more excuses.
Jeremiah Smith will be a name to watch for the Ohio State Buckeyes. If he can come in and produce right away, it would be a huge boost to the team.