Ohio State defensive tackle John Walker loses black stripe

COLUMBUS — Ohio State is beginning to see what it wants from transfer defensive tackle John Walker.

Now the former UCF star is standing out in Buckeyes practice, and he reached a major milestone Wednesday. Walker shed his black stripe, officially becoming a member of the program after 10 sessions of spring practice.

During his three years at UCF, two of which he played in games, Walker totaled 59 tackles, 1.5 sacks, one forced fumble and two pass deflections. Walker was tabbed as a True Freshman All-American selection by On3 in 2023.

Initially from Osceola (Kissimmee, FL) High School, Walker was a top-100 overall player in the class of 2023. He was ranked as the 13th-best defensive tackle and 24th-best player in the state of Florida for his class, according to the Rivals Industry Rankings. As a transfer, he ranks as the No. 208 overall player and No. 20 defensive tackle, according to Rivals.

Now Walker is the latest Ohio State transfer to shed his black stripe, adding to the depth of the defensive tackle position and giving the Buckeyes a good idea of what Walker can bring this fall.

John Walker joins growing list of Ohio State players to lose black stripe

He now joins a growing list of Ohio State players to lose their black stripes so far this spring.

As for transfers, the Buckeyes have shed the black stripes from helmets from former LSU wide receiver Kyle Parker, former Florida State defensive back Earl Little Jr., former Wisconsin linebacker Christian Alliegro, former Alabama defensive end Qua Russaw, former Alabama defensive tackle James Smith and former UTSA wide receiver Devin McCuin.

And so far, just one freshman has lost his black stripe so far this spring. After just six practices in his Buckeyes career, Texas native Brock Boyd seems to be on the fast track to being a first-year impact player. The latest example of that: Boyd shed his black stripe on Tuesday after practice, a mark that he’s officially a member of the program. Boyd is the first freshman from the class of 2026 to shed his stripe, a major milestone for the former three-star recruit from Southlake Carroll (Texas) High School.

Now John Walker is the latest to join them.

Here’s the Buckeyes to lose their black stripe this spring:

Player	Previous school/year	Black stripe removal date	Story link
WR Kyle Parker	LSU	March 28, 2026	READ MORE
DB Earl Little Jr.	Florida State	March 29, 2026	READ MORE
WR Brock Boyd	HS (freshman)	March 31, 2026	READ MORE
LB Christian Alliegro	Wisconsin	March 31, 2026	READ MORE
DE Qua Russaw	Alabama	April 2, 2026	READ MORE
DT James Smith	Alabama	April 4, 2026	READ MORE
WR Devin McCuin	UTSA	April 4, 2026	READ MORE
DT John Walker	UCF	April 8, 2026