Ohio State football has a tradition where they take the black stripes off of helmets to show players that they have elevated in their time with the team. The latest player to have his black stripe taken away from him was freshman Devin Sanchez. The five-star cornerback had a lot of buzz coming into his season with Ohio State, and his play on the field has paid off.
He became the fourth Ohio State freshman to lose his black stripe from the 2025 recruiting class, as he joins linebacker Riley Pettijohn, wide receiver Quincy Porter, and tight end Nate Roberts. Porter was able to lose his during spring practice, while Pettijohn and Roberts lost theirs in the recent practice with the team.
Ohio State's social media team posted the video of Sanchez losing his stripes, and he spoke to the team afterward.
“I want to thank y'all boys for welcoming me to y'all's brotherhood. I want to thank Coach Walt, Coach P, and Coach Day for giving me the opportunity to be here. And I thank God, go Bucks,” Sanchez said in the video.
🚨 𝗕𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗽𝗲 𝗔𝗹𝗲𝗿𝘁 🚨
The next generation of BIA is here 🌎 Welcome to the Brotherhood @Devin2416 ‼️ pic.twitter.com/jhOOnCxCp7
— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) August 6, 2025
Sanchez enrolled in January and didn't have the best performance during spring, but since then, he has shown major improvement, and he could make a big difference for Ohio State's secondary. Back in the spring, Sanchez spoke about the coaching staff and how they've always wanted the best from him.
“In the recruiting process, it was being developed into the next best corner,” Sanchez said. “When I finally got here, it was being coached hard. He coaches hard, very hard. I feel like if he’s not coaching you hard, it’s kind of over. But when he’s coaching you hard from the jump, that means that he wants the best for you.”
The work is not done for Sanchez, and he'll have to continue to climb the depth chart and compete with players such as Jermaine Mathews and Davidson Igbinosun.
