Ohio State added two more “official” Buckeyes to the team on Tuesday when linebacker Eli Lee and tight end Brody Lennon shed their black stripes after practice.
Lee joined the Buckeyes this season out of Akron Hoban as a three-star prospect and while he hasn’t been able to get on the field much, he has recorded two tackles this season, both in the 70-0 win over Grambling State. He also got time in the win over Wisconsin on Oct. 18.
He’s the third of three linebackers in the 2025 recruiting class to lose his black stripe after Riley Pettijohn and TJ Alford both did earlier this season.
Lennon, a four-star recruit out of high school, has only made it into game action once in the win over Grambling State on Sept. 6. He joins fellow freshman tight end Nate Roberts losing his black stripe. Roberts did so in August.
Both Lee and Lennon are stuck in deep, talented position rooms right now, with the Buckeyes boasting some of the best depth at the tight end position this season as well as two possible first-round NFL draft picks starting at linebacker in Arvell Reese and Sonny Styles.
Going into the College Football Playoff, it’s unlikely that either will see their playing time this season increase after shedding their black stripes, but this paves the way for them to make more of an impact next year.
Lee and Lennon are the 32nd and 33rd players to lose their black stripes in 2025 and the 17th and 18th true freshman to do so this year.
