Buckeyes freshman defensive end Eddrick Houston sheds black stripe
COLUMBUS — Ohio State is adding another member to the Rushmen — in an official capacity this time. Freshman defensive end Eddrick Houston shed his black stripe after practice on Friday, officially becoming a part of the Buckeyes football program.
Houston has impressed so far during his first offseason on campus ahead of his freshman campaign.
Ohio State was quite excited to land the former four-star prospect out of Buford, Georgia. Houston had an eventful signing day, one that almost saw him flip to Alabama at the 11th hour.
“He just went quiet. No one could talk to him,” Ohio State defensive line coach Larry Johnson said this spring. “And then finally we got to reach [Eddrick] and got to talk to him. I think he knew where his heart was. His heart was always here. He’s always said that, ‘This is where I want to be, I want to be here.’ I think [him] coming to that decision at that late stage scared everybody in a sense.”
Now Houston is gearing up for his first season at Ohio State after signing with the Buckeyes. And he’s flashing elite potential early in his career. The latest example of that is a black stripe removal.
Houston is the second Buckeyes freshman to lose his black stripe during training camp; safety Jaylen McClain lost his after practice earlier this week.
More on McClain losing his black stripe…
Ohio State freshman safety Jaylen McClain, an early standout during the first few days of training camp, shed his black stripe after Buckeyes practice on Wednesday. That stripe removal signals that he’s officially a member of the football program and has been wowing coaches in practice.
McClain had already impressed in bursts during spring ball back in March and April. But he carried that into the offseason that was filled with workouts and now has continued to be a factor early in training camp.
Lettermen Row even noted McClain in each of our ‘observation notebooks’ when we were permitted to watch Buckeyes practice last weekend. He caught our staff’s eye in each session.
