Former Salpointe Catholic safety Lathan Ransom was one of three Ohio State freshmen to “officially” become Buckeyes by shedding their black stripes in practice this morning.
According to Ohio State, the black stripe is a symbol of a player buying in to the program and conducting himself the right way on and off the field.
“Having the black stripe removed is a notable distinction and a cause for celebration,” the program states on its Web site.
Ransom, a 4-star prospect with the Lancers last season, joined fellow safety Kourt Williams and defensive lineman Ty Hamilton as the third defensive player in Ohio State’s Class of 2020 to lose his black stripe this fall.
Ohio State linebackers coach Al Washington made the announcement at the end of practice of Ransom’s achievement.
“He’s busting his butt, got a long way to go,” Washington said. “But he keeps coming and coming every day.”
🚨 Black Stripe Alert ‼️@L8thanRansom loses the stripe & #BIA gains a playmaker!#GoBuckeyes pic.twitter.com/dsQLluRVXx
— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) October 3, 2020
“I want to thank the whole team, the whole defense, and I want to thank the BIA,” Ransom said. “Go Bucks.”
BIA in Ohio State lingo stands for “Best in America.”
Running back Miyan Williams and offensive lineman Josh Fryar also had their black stripes removed following Saturday’s practice.
Ransom was the No. 11 safety and No. 167 overall player in the 2020 recruiting class as rated by 247 Sports.
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ALLSPORTSTUCSON.com publisher, writer and editor Javier Morales is a former Arizona Press Club award winner. He is a former Arizona Daily Star beat reporter for the Arizona basketball team, including when the Wildcats won the 1996-97 NCAA title. He has also written articles for CollegeAD.com, Bleacher Report, Lindy’s Sports, TucsonCitizen.com, The Arizona Republic, Sporting News and Baseball America, among many other publications. He has also authored the book “The Highest Form of Living”, which is available at Amazon.
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