Ohio State WR Damarion Witten loses black stripe

COLUMBUS — Ohio State wide receiver Damarion Witten has been working hard behind the scenes for more than a year.

That hard work seems to be paying off for the second-year Cleveland Glenville product.

Witten lost his black stripe after practice Tuesday, becoming the final member of the Buckeyes’ 2024 recruiting class to shed the stripe. He joins fellow 2024 signee Nick McLarty, the punter, as second-year players to lose their stripe during their second August training camp this month.

Witten is a former three-star prospect who committed to and enrolled with the Buckeyes as a tight end. He was the No. 493 overall player, the No. 30 tight end and No. 20 player in the state of Ohio in the 2024 recruiting class.

He and fellow Tarblooder Bryce West are at Ohio State as second-year Buckeyes alongside third-year linebacker Arvell Reese as Glenville prospects. Two more Glenville seniors will join the Ohio State roster next season.

For Witten, he’ll continue his uphill climb in the Ohio State wide receiver room that’s loaded with talent.

But he took a big step toward that on Tuesday, losing his black stripe after more than a year of work toward a potential role.