Transfer tight end Will Kacmarek lost his black stripe following practice on Friday, becoming the final non-freshman transfer to be welcomed officially into the fold this spring.
Kacmarek (6-6 260) transferred to Ohio State this winter from Ohio University where he was the starting tight end for the Bobcats last season as a redshirt sophomore.
Listed as a 2-star recruit and ranked the No. 407 defensive lineman in the nation, Kacmarek’s biggest offer out of high school came from OU. The St. Louis native took the offer and worked to make the most of it at tight end.
After redshirting as a true freshman in 2021, Kacmarek caught 20 or more passes in each of his next two seasons. Following the 2023 season, Kacmarek made the decision to enter the transfer portal because he believed he could play at a higher level of college ball.
Kacmarek is now the seventh newcomer to shed his black stripe, and it comes at a very good time.
The Buckeyes are replacing last year’s starting tight end Cade Stover. While Kacmarek is not the oldest of the Ohio State tight ends, he has the most experience starting and by far the most production.
Still, moving from Ohio to Ohio State is a jump, and this is a new process for Kacmarek.
“I think right now he’s thinking about, ‘Okay, what do I have? I see this signal. Okay, what do I have again?'” OSU tight ends coach Keenan Bailey said last week. “Because this is new terminology, new signals, and then the next step is going to be, ‘Okay, how do I get that job done?'”
With the black stripe gone, it is clear that Bailey has been happy with the process and the progress.
“He’s tough and you could coach him hard,” Bailey said. “So we kind of thought going in that he would transition like he has and he’s just putting his head down and working.”
The Buckeyes finished their 11th practice of spring camp on Friday with four more to come next week.
Camp will end with the annual spring game, slated for Saturday April 13 at 12:00 pm. The “game” will be broadcast nationally on FOX.
Black Stripe Tracker
WR Jeremiah Smith – March 21
WR Brennen Schramm (rFr walk-on) – March 21
SAF Caleb Downs – March 26
RB Quinshon Judkins – March 26
QB Will Howard – March 30
OL Seth McLaughlin – March 30
TE Will Kacmarek – April 5
DT Will Smith, Jr. – April 5
Freshmen Still Waiting
QB Air Noland | QB Julian Sayin | RB James Peoples | RB Sam Williams-Dixon | WR Mylan Graham* | TE Max LeBlanc* | TE Damarion Witten* | OL Ian Moore | OL Deonte Armstrong | OL Devontae Armstrong | OL Gabe VanSickel* | DE Eddrick Houston | DL Dominic Kirks* | DT Eric Mensah | LB Payton Pierce | LB Garrett Stover | CB Aaron Scott | CB Bryce West | CB Miles Lockhart | SAF Jaylen McClain | SAF Leroy Roker*
* Not yet enrolled.
[Will Kacmarek header photo courtesy of the Ohio State Dept. of Athletics/Twitter.]
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