The Ohio State football program utilized the Transfer Portal more than they ever have this past offseason. After losing 31 players to the portal, the Buckeyes added a total of 51 new players from the portal and high school recruiting combined. That means they have a lot of new faces.
A couple of those new faces have already shed their black stripes, officially becoming Ohio State Buckeyes. Spring practice seems to be going well, and Ryan Day is happy with the progress that has been made so far. They are almost halfway through spring ball at this point.
As more transfers start to shed black stripes, the Buckeyes have had another new guy lose it. Ohio State had two guys on the defensive line who transferred from Alabama in the offseason. Qua Russaw is one of them, and now he has officially lost his black stripe.
Ohio State edge Qua Russaw sheds his black stripe
Russaw is a player who is very raw but has a lot of talent. His production hasn't been as high as the Crimson Tide was hoping for, which is part of the reason why he transferred. He plays best as an edge, and will likely be slated at the defensive end spot for the Buckeyes.
Russaw has worked at both DE and linebacker for the Buckeyes so far. Yet, he will likely be slated to play the DE position with how loaded the linebacker spot is. He must have made an impression on the coaching staff for him to have already shed his black stripe.
Ohio State is hoping to have another strong defense this year after having the best defense in the country. With Matt Patricia back, Ohio State feels confident that it can have another strong defensive performance this season. Russaw could be a big part of that.