Buckeyes freshman linebacker TJ Alford sheds black stripe

COLUMBUS — Ohio State freshman linebacker TJ Alford is making progress in his first season with the Buckeyes.

Proof of that: he lost his black stripe after practice Wednesday, a sure sign that he’s doing the right things as he moves through his debut season at Ohio State.

Alford is the 12th Ohio State freshman to lose the black stripe from the 2025 recruiting class. He joins wide receiver Quincy Porter, linebacker Riley Pettijohn, tight end Nate Roberts, cornerback Devin Sanchez, safety Faheem Delane, wide receiver Phillip Bell, running back Bo Jackson, offensive lineman Jake Cook, wide receiver De’zie Jones, defensive tackle Jarquez Carter and defensive end Zion Grady. Porter lost his during spring practice, while Pettijohn, Roberts and Sanchez shed theirs during the first week of training camp. Delane and Cook lost their black stripe after the team’s second scrimmage of training camp last month. Bell lost his a week and a half before the opener. Jones lost his two weeks ago before the Grambling State game.

Grady and Carter shed their black stripes last week. Now it’s Alford’s turn.

Alford now has 19 snaps under his belt across two games, playing 13 in the win over Grambling State and six more last weekend in the win over Ohio. He’s working to earn more opportunities as the Buckeyes open Big Ten play following an idle week.

“Every time you’re in the game is an opportunity,” Ohio State coach Ryan Day said of the younger defenders earning time in the blowout wins. “And a lot of guys are found during opportunities like this. And so every time you’re on the field is an opportunity to get better. And you’re either putting strength or weakness on film. So, yeah, the guys that pop, they’re going to continue to get opportunities as long as what they’re doing fits into what we’re trying to get done on offense and defense and they’re grading out. Sometimes you can just play the game, kind of just go off on your own and try to make plays. And you can make a play, but that’s not within the discipline of what we’re doing. We have to consider all those things. 

“But, yeah, the more guys grade out, the more productive the guys are and utilize the staffs, then the more they’re going to play.”

Alford is clearly making significant progress, and now he has something missing to show for it. He lost his black stripe on Wednesday.