Ohio State Defensive Tackle Hero Kanu Loses Black Stripe

True freshman defensive tackle Hero Kanu is the latest Buckeye to have his black stripe removed. Kanu lost his stripe following practice on Wednesday.

All newcomers into the OSU football program have a black stripe placed down the middle of their helmets when they arrive. The removal of the stripe indicates that a player has done enough in practice to warrant being a full-fledged Buckeye.

Kanu is now the 12th Ohio State freshman to have his stripe removed and the 18th Buckeye overall this year.

Originally from Germany, Kanu moved to the United States in October of 2020 and played high school football at Santa Margarita Catholic High School in Rancho Santa Margarita, California.

Hero Kanu was a 4-star prospect in the 2022 recruiting class. He was ranked the No. 17 defensive lineman in the nation and the No. 118 prospect overall. He signed with the Buckeyes over offers from Alabama, Georgia, Oklahoma, Notre Dame, and dozens of others.

Kanu is still relatively new to the game but continues to improve each week. He has seen action for the Buckeyes each of the last two weeks. He has not yet registered a statistic.

The Buckeyes signed four defensive linemen in the 2022 class and three of them have now lost their black stripes. The first was defensive end Caden Curry, who had his stripe removed back in the spring. He was followed by defensive end Kenyatta Jackson a month ago. Defensive end Omari Abor is the lone remaining holdout on the defensive line.

Nine freshmen now remain who still have their black stripes.

Black Stripes Lost

SAF Tanner McCalister (transfer) – March 28
SAF Kye Stokes – April 8
DE Caden Curry – April 11
LB Chip Trayanum – (transfer) August 9
CB Jyaire Brown – August 9
LB CJ Hicks – August 13
TE Zak Herbstreit (second-year walk-on) – August 17
WR Kaleb Brown – August 17
WR Kyion Grayes – August 20
RB Dallan Hayden – August 20
WR Joop Mitchell (second-year walk-on) – August 20
DE Kenyatta Jackson – August 20
SAF Sonny Styles – August 30
RB TC Caffey – September 14
WR Kojo Antwi – September 14
QB Mason Maggs – September 14
CB Ryan Turner – September 21
DT Hero Kanu – September 21

Freshmen Still Waiting

QB Devin Brown | LB Gabe Powers | WR Caleb Burton | OL George Fitzpatrick
TE Bennett Christian| DE Omari Abor | OL Tegra Tshabola | OL Carson Hinzman OL Avery Henry

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