Brock Boyd becomes first Ohio State football freshman to lose black stripe

Brock Boyd became the first of Ohio State’s freshmen to lose his black stripe during spring practice.

Buckeyes coach Ryan Day said Boyd reached the program milestone, an annual rite of passage for newcomers, on March 31 following their sixth practice.

“I’m excited to see where his career goes,” Day said. “He’s off to a great start.”

Boyd did not arrive at Ohio State with a lofty recruiting pedigree. He was a three-star prospect, according to composite rankings from 247Sports, and the lowest-ranked among the four freshman receivers who signed with the Buckeyes in December, a group that was led by the nation’s top-ranked pass catcher in Chris Henry Jr.

But Boyd has made the quickest impression on the staff in getting the stripe removed on his helmet.

“This is somebody who knows how to run a route,” Day said. “He’s serious about it. He can play multiple positions. And he’s productive.”

If Boyd is ahead of the learning curve, it could be the result of his background as a coach’s son. His father, Kris Boyd, is a longtime high school football coach in Texas who coached him and other wide receivers at Carroll in the Dallas suburb of Southlake in recent years. His older brother, Brady Boyd, was a receiver at Texas Tech and Utah State. 

It was an experience that both Day and wide receivers coach Cortez Hankton mentioned in recent days as they heaped praise on Boyd.

“He comes from a family where they live, eat and breathe football,” Hankton said, “so he understands the game like he’s a three-year college student.”

But it wasn’t the only trait the Buckeyes noticed in Boyd when caught 186 passes for 3,013 yards and 34 touchdowns at Carroll over the last two seasons and prompted them to flip his commitment to TCU last year.

“He’s got quick twitch,” Day said. “He can change directions. He’s got strong hands.”

Boyd is Ohio State’s fourth straight receiver to be recognized as the first in the freshman class to lose his black stripe in spring practice, following Quincy Porter in 2025, Jeremiah Smith in 2024 and Carnell Tate in 2023.

Joey Kaufman covers Ohio State football for The Columbus Dispatch. Email him at jkaufman@dispatch.com and follow him on @joeyrkaufman on X.

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Brock Boyd is first Ohio State football freshman to lose black stripe