LSU transfer wide receiver Kyle Parker and Florida State transfer safety Earl Little Jr. are the first Buckeyes to lose their black stripes in 2026.
After adding 51 new players this offseason, nearly half of Ohio State’s players started this spring sporting black stripes on their helmets. Each new Ohio State player will have to prove to the coaching staff through their performance in practice that they are ready to compete at the Ohio State standard, and will have their black stripes removed when the coaches feel they‘ve earned the right to “officially” be a Buckeye.
LSU transfer wide receiver Kyle Parker, who followed new Ohio State wide receivers coach Cortez Hankton to Columbus, and Florida State safety Earl Little Jr. are the first Buckeyes to lose their black stripes in 2026 after Ohio State’s fifth practice of the spring. As more new Buckeyes have their black stripes removed over the course of the spring, we’ll be tracking all of the Buckeyes who earn official Buckeye status below.Little Jr. joined Parker in officially becoming a Buckeye on Saturday. The former All-ACC safety arrived in Columbus after two years at Alabama and two years at Florida State. He has recorded 93 tackles with three tackles for loss, one sack, four interceptions and two pass breakups across 35 career games.Little Jr. is one of two transfers the Buckeyes brought in at safety, along with former Duke defensive back Terry Moore. Little Jr. is expected to play nickel for the Buckeyes, while Moore is projected as a free safety.Parker’s status as the first Buckeye to have his black stripe removed this spring was revealed by Ohio State wide receivers coach Cortez Hankton during an interview session after Ohio State’s fifth practice of the spring.The stripe removal made Hankton think of another former wide receiver at LSU, Kyren Lacy, who died by suicide last April. “To see KP, who was like a brother to Kyren, taking that black stripe off, man, it was really just fun and heartwarming to watch, because I know that dude would be smiling for him,” Hankton said. “I can see them dancing in the corner and celebrating. And it's days like today that truly lets you take the perspective of being thankful and grateful to be in this position to coach.” Parker, a redshirt junior, is competing for a starting wide receiver job at Ohio State this spring after catching 31 passes for 330 yards and four touchdowns at LSU in 2025. His achievement of losing his black stripe before any other player this spring suggests his quest to earn that job – or at least a significant spot in the rotation – is off to a great start.Be sure to check out our Black Stripe Tradition page to see the history of Ohio State’s black stripe removals from 2012, when the tradition started, all the way through today.Davison Igbinosun Disputes Claim That He Wore Mitts in Practice to Prevent Him from Grabbing Receivers: “That’s Cap”
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