Buckeyes offensive lineman Miles Walker sheds black stripe
COLUMBUS — Ohio State offensive lineman Miles Walker is working hard in the middle of a developmental year.
That hard work is beginning to show itself on the practice field as Walker works with a redshirt in mind.
Walker had his black stripe removed Wednesday night after practice, a ceremonial sign that he’s officially a member of the Buckeyes football program.
Walker was the lowest-rated member of the 2023 Ohio State recruiting class, checking in at No. 521 overall in the On3 Industry Rankings. He was the No. 29 offensive tackle in the country and No. 4 player in the state of Connecticut.
He was part of a four-man offensive line recruiting class for offensive line coach Justin Frye. The others, Luke Montgomery, Austin Siereveld and Josh Padilla all three previously lost their black stripes earlier in various stages of their freshmen seasons.
Now Walker is the latest member of the 2023 recruiting class to lose his black stripe. And the developmental path he is on is already showing signs of working.
Calvin Simpson-Hunt lost his black stripe for Ohio State last week
From Lettermen Row’s Andy Backstrom:
Calvin Simpson-Hunt lost his black stripe last week.
The first-year Ohio State cornerback is the latest Buckeyes player to earn the post-practice honor. He was the second of Ohio State’s two top-10 cornerback signees in the 2023 class. The other is Jermaine Mathews Jr., an early enrollee who has emerged as an important piece this season in the absence of starting corner Denzel Burke. In fact, Mathews just made his first career start last week at Rutgers.
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Simpson-Hunt, however, didn’t join the team until June. He left Waxahachie High School in Texas as the No. 7 cornerback and No. 58 overall prospect last cycle. The 6-foot-1, 195-pound corner recorded 25 tackles, three passes defended, two tackles for loss and one fumble recovery as a senior. The previous season, he logged 29 tackles, five TFLs, one sack and one interception.
Simpson-Hunt was also a star in track and field. He ran a 22.00 200 meter as a sophomore and a 10.65 100 meter as a junior. Although he originally committed to Texas Tech, Simpson-Hunt ultimately de-committed and chose Ohio State.
Like a handful of other Buckeyes true freshmen, Simpson-Hunt took part in the All-American Bowl last January in San Antonio.
Simpson-Hunt is now making his mark at Ohio State, where he’ll try to follow in Mathews’ footsteps with early success in Columbus. Wednesday night’s recognition was the first step in doing so.
