Freshman Wide Receiver Brock Boyd, Transfer Linebacker Christian Alliegro Lose Black Stripes

Freshman wide receiver Brock Boyd and transfer senior linebacker Christian Alliegro became the third and fourth Buckeyes to shed their black stripes during spring practices, head coach Ryan Day said on Tuesday.

Boyd and Alliegro join junior transfer wide receiver Kyle Parker and senior safety Earl Little, who both lost their black stripes last week.

Boyd is the first freshman to do so from the 2026 recruiting class. He joined the Buckeyes as the No. 729 overall recruit in the cycle and the No. 100-ranked wide receiver, but former wide receivers coach Brian Hartline made Boyd a priority during the season, flipping Boyd from TCU last April.

As a senior at Southlake Carroll (Texas) High School, Boyd brought in 75 catches for 1,145 yards and 15 touchdowns one year after being named the Offensive Player of the Year for District 4-6A when he caught 111 passes for 1,868 yards and 19 touchdowns. As a senior, he broke the all-time receiving yards record.

The wide receiver room is extremely crowded this season, with Jeremiah Smith and Brandon Inniss likely holding starting spots and Parker, Chris Henry Jr. and Devin McCuin, among others, competing for the starting spot that Carnell Tate going to the NFL draft left open.

Boyd has a difficult road ahead of him if he’s trying to earn playing time this season, but losing his black stripe so early into the spring is a great start.

Alliegro is now the third transfer to shed his black stripe after having transferred from Wisconsin.

He had a strong start to his year with the Badgers in 2025, but was injured in the loss to Ohio State and played the rest of the year with that injury. He finished with 53 tackles, eight for loss, four sacks and one pass broken up.

Alliegro has a chance to earn one of the starting linebacker spots left open by Arvell Reese and Sonny Styles leaving for the NFL draft.