Scarlet Sunrise: Buckeyes punter Jesse Mirco sheds black stripe

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Buckeyes punter Jesse Mirco sheds black stripe

Ohio State freshman punter Jesse Mirco committed to the Buckeyes — and moved from Australia to the United States — to become the starting punter for the Buckeyes.

He moved one step closer to that Friday. Mirco, who is from ProKick Australia, lost his black stripe Friday afternoon after practice. He already was the clear frontrunner to replace former Buckeyes punter Drue Chrisman, and the black stripe removal further shows that.

Mirco is the second first-year Buckeyes player to lose his black stripe; quarterback Kyle McCord lost his after practice Thursday in preparation for the intra-squad scrimmage on Saturday.

Jesse Mirco has been impressing so far in camp — and he lost his black stripe as a result.

Buckeyes developing elite tight end room around Jeremy Ruckert

Ohio State has one of the top returning tight ends in the country back this season in Jeremy Ruckert. But the Buckeyes lost their other top tight end from a season ago, Luke Farrell, is now in the NFL.

The Buckeyes need to restock the room behind Ruckert, and they are doing just that. There are plenty of young, talented players ready to step up this fall. Lettermen Row’s Austin Ward has more:

Arguably the best tight end in America is somewhat surprisingly back for one more season. That, of course, is a positive development for the Buckeyes.

But the longtime sidekick for Jeremy Ruckert is gone. And even though Luke Farrell’s work was often overlooked, there was no question at all inside the program that he was one of the most important pieces on offense for Ohio State. Filling that void may turn out to be a collective effort for the tight ends, and the first two weeks of camp have been significant in trying to find the best way to pick up that slack with a variety of candidates.

READ: What We Learned as Kevin Wilson, tight ends prep for key scrimmage

Top 2023 receiver sets decision date

The country’s top wide receiver in the class of 2023, Brandon Inniss, will make his college decision on Aug. 22, and the Buckeyes seem to be on the outside looking in for his commitment.

Ohio State will continue to recruit Inniss, however, even if he doesn’t choose the Buckeyes next week. Lettermen Row’s Jeremy Birmingham has more:

He had a plan to make a top schools list after the upcoming season but everything accelerated and that’s decidedly bad news for Brian Hartline. Oklahoma, with commitments from 5-star quarterback Malachi Nelson, 5-star running back Treyaun Webb and highly-regarded 4-star athlete Makai Lemon, appears to be driving the bus for Inniss.

Ohio State isn’t allowed to openly communicate with Inniss or any other 2023 prospect until Sept. 1. The Buckeyes had hoped to get to that date with Inniss and others still open. There’s no doubt they’ll keep recruiting him, but the battle gets tougher from here.

READ: Buckeyes focus on top targets as recruits set decision dates

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