Two Ohio freshmen who grew up in this state are officially full members of the Ohio State football program. Running back Favour Akih of Delaware and tight end Nick Lautar of Lebanon had the black stripes removed from their helmets this week, becoming the 13th and 14th members of the Buckeyes’ freshman class of 2026 to earn the honor, following the team’s final practice of its bye week.
The black stripe tradition dates to 2012, when former head coach Urban Meyer brought it to Columbus. Every newcomer arrives with a black stripe down the center of his helmet, and it stays there until coaches and teammates decide he has demonstrated the work, commitment and performance required to be called a Buckeye in full. Removal is announced to the whole team, and both announcements this week were met with the usual celebration.
Akih, a four-star recruit from Delaware, just north of Columbus, announced himself to teammates in the team’s video with a simple message of gratitude, thanking the defense, head coach Ryan Day and his fellow players, and saying that coming to work with them is the best part of his day. Scarlet and Gray director of player development C.J. Barnett introduced him as a player with a motor that does not stop, who will run through anything put in front of him.
Lautar’s path has been quieter. The three-star tight end from Lebanon, in Warren County, was described by Barnett as a player who does everything right, able to pancake a defensive end and then get upfield to block a linebacker or safety. Through the first seven games of the season, Lautar has appeared in three games and played 17 snaps, without yet recording a statistic, in a tight end room that runs several players deep.
On the field so far, Akih has appeared in one game, carrying the ball eight times for 13 yards against Kent State. Neither freshman is expected to hold a regular role this season — Akih sits behind several established running backs, and five tight ends are ahead of Lautar — but stripe removals in late October are rarely about the next game. They signal that coaches trust both players to provide depth and contribute on special teams if called upon.
The timing matters for the running back room in particular. Ohio State has been dealing with injuries in the backfield, including to Ja’Kobi Jackson, so an in-state freshman earning his way into the trusted group gives the staff one more option as the Buckeyes push into the heart of the Big Ten schedule and toward the postseason.
For two Ohio families — one in Delaware County and one in Warren County — the moment carries its own weight. Akih was also a standout sprinter in high school, with personal bests of 10.9 seconds in the 100 meters and 22.04 in the 200. Both players arrived as recruits from inside the state’s borders, and both have now completed the rite of passage that every Buckeye, homegrown or not, has to earn the same way.