Ohio State freshman tight end Nate Roberts loses black stripe

COLUMBUS – The Buckeyes have one of the best tight end rooms in the country this season. Max Klare, Will Kacmarek and Bennett Christian are all expected to play key roles for Ohio State this that but the coaching staff is also high on freshman Nate Roberts.

The 6-foot-3.5, 220-pound Roberts was the top target for tight ends coach Keenan Bailey last cycle. Bailey believed Roberts was one of the top tight ends in the 2025 class and he has shown that through the first week of training camp. Roberts shed his black stripe after practice on Tuesday.

Roberts joined freshman linebacker Riley Pettijohn as one of two Ohio State freshmen to lose their black stripe during training camp, which began on Thursday. Pettijohn also lost his on Tuesday after practice .

The only other member of the Buckeyes 2025 recruiting class that has lost their black strip thus far is former five-star wide receiver Quincy Porter, who lost his black stripe back after the Buckeyes annual student appreciation day practice in April.

Roberts was a consensus four-star prospect coming out of Washington (Okla.) High School last cycle. Rivals had Roberts ranked as the No. 187 overall prospect and the No. 6 tight end in the 2026 class. He chose the Buckeyes over hometown Oklahoma, Oregon and others.

Ohio State also signed former four-star tight end Brody Lennon out of Cleveland (Ohio) Gilmour Academy in the 2025 class. Unlike Roberts, Lennon was not able to enroll early with the Buckeyes because school rules at Gilmour Academy. Still Lennon figures to be a fixture in Bailey’s tight end room in the future along with Roberts.

The tandem of Roberts and Lennon give Ohio State their best group of incoming freshmen tight ends in several years. Roberts, in particular, has the potential to be a star for the Buckeyes after losing his black stripe this early in camp.