Freshman offensive lineman Luke Montgomery lost his black stripe following Saturday’s scrimmage, becoming the third person since fall camp begin to become an “official” member of the team.
Montgomery has impressed ever since arriving on campus, working his way into the discussion for one of Ohio State’s open tackle positions. While it appears likely that Josh Simmons and Josh Fryar will man left and right tackle, respectively, Montgomery has made a push and has appeared in the two-deep at tackle throughout fall camp.
โHe’s in the competition,โ head coach Ryan Day said last month at Big Ten Media Days. โI told him the other day, ‘I know you’re a true freshman, but you came here to play. So that should be your mentality.’
“Now, whether you play in the first game or not, I don’t know. Maybe you don’t play this year. But I see things in him, we see things in him that are very encouraging. And I think everything you invest in Luke, you’re going to get back. He has all the traits that you look for in a really good offensive lineman. Maybe it’s Game 3, maybe it’s Game 4, I don’t know when it’s going to be. But he’s got a huge upside as well.โ
Montgomery is the third Buckeye to lose his black stripe in the last week, joining offensive lineman Victor Cutler Jr. and Simmons, and he is only the fourth true freshman to lose his black stripe following wide receiver Carnell Tate, tight end Jelani Thurman and safety Malik Hartford in the spring.
