Buckeyes freshman linebacker Arvell Reese loses black stripe
COLUMBUS — Ohio State likes what it has in true freshman Arvell Reese, both at linebacker and, more recently, defensive end.
And Tuesday night Reese joined Buckeyes safety Ja’Had Carter in shedding his black stripe.
Reese — the No. 187 overall prospect, No. 20 linebacker and No. 5 Ohio recruit in the 2023 class, according to the On3 Industry Ranking — was a summer arrival.
Reese was a standout playmaker for head coach Tedd Ginn Sr. and Glenville High School in Cleveland. He was part of Glenville’s first-ever state title last fall. In the process, Reese emerged as Division IV Defensive Player of the Year by the Ohio Prep Sportswriters Association. Plus, he became a finalist for the High School Butkus Award.
As dominant as Reese was at linebacker in high school, Ohio State sees an immediate future for him at defensive end.
“Coach Ginn, during the process of [us] recruiting Arvell, had mentioned that maybe that was something that he foresaw down the road,” Ohio State head coach Ryan Day earlier this month. “When Arvell got here, we had immediately saw that he has a lot of talent. Explosive, twitchy, smart, big. And he did a nice job at linebacker.
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“We felt like maybe taking a look for a week at defensive end because he’s gonna get to 255 really fast — that he has some twitch and has the strength and has the length to play at defensive end. And as a freshman that may be the best for him.”
Reese hasn’t made the full-time switch to defensive end yet. But he’s already making his presence know.
Arvell Reese latest true freshman to shed black stripe
Sophomore offensive linemen George Fitzpatrick and Tegra Tshabola lost their black stripes the second week of this year’s spring practice, along with Ole Miss transfer cornerback Davison Igbinosun and true freshman wide receiver Carnell Tate. Oregon State transfer quarterback Tristan Gebbia shed his black stripe later in spring ball. And so did true freshman safety Malik Hartford and true freshman tight end Jelani Thurman.
Both transfer offensive linemen the Buckeyes brought in this offseason, Josh Simmons and Victor Cutler Jr., were the first Ohio State players to shed their black stripes in training camp. Then true freshman offensive tackle Luke Montgomery lost his, along with Ole Miss transfer defensive tackle Tywone Malone. After that, true freshman wide receiver Bryson Rodgers joined true freshman cornerback Jermaine Mathews in receiving the post-practice honor. Like Rodgers and Mathews, transfer cornerback Lorenzo Styles Jr. also lost his black stripe last week. The most recent black stripe honorees are wide receiver Noah Rogers, defensive tackle Kayden McDonald, offensive lineman Josh Padilla and wide receiver Brandon Inniss — all true freshmen — along with Carter and Reese.
