Ohio State safety Ja'Had Carter sheds black stripe
COLUMBUS — Ohio State safety Ja’Had Carter is in the mix for the Buckeyes’ last remaining starting safety spot, and Tuesday night he shed his black stripe.
Ohio State true freshman linebacker/defensive end Arvell Reese also received the post-practice honor Tuesday.
Carter transferred to Ohio State this offseason after starting three years at Syracuse, where he emerged as an All-ACC performer.
He’s coming off the best season of his career. In 2022, the 6-foot-1, 203-pound safety logged his best Pro Football Focus coverage grade (70.7) to date, allowing only 22 receptions on 33 targets for just 169 receiving yards. What’s more, the longest catch Carter gave up went for 19 yards.
He picked off three passes last season for Syracuse and conceded a single touchdown. Carter stood out the most at Clemson, where he registered nine total tackles, one interception and a 90-yard scoop and score.
After transferring to Ohio State this winter, Carter missed the final stretch of spring practice with a knee injury but returned for training camp and has inserted himself into the starting “adjuster,” or high safety, conversation.
“There are certain guys when they mess up a play in practice,” Ohio State defensive coordinator Jim Knowles said this offseason, “they come over and you say, ‘Hey, when they do this, you have to do that.’ Then they go out there the next series, and they do it. He did. That’s impressive. That gives you goosebumps. OK, this kid, he takes the coaching right there and changes the production on the field. Not a lot of guys can do that.”
Ja’Had Carter the latest Buckeyes transfer to lose black stripe
Sophomore offensive linemen George Fitzpatrick and Tegra Tshabola lost their black stripes the second week of this year’s spring practice, along with Ole Miss transfer cornerback Davison Igbinosun and true freshman wide receiver Carnell Tate. Oregon State transfer quarterback Tristan Gebbia shed his black stripe later in spring ball. And so did true freshman safety Malik Hartford and true freshman tight end Jelani Thurman.
Both transfer offensive linemen the Buckeyes brought in this offseason, Josh Simmons and Victor Cutler Jr., were the first Ohio State players to shed their black stripes in training camp. Then true freshman offensive tackle Luke Montgomery lost his, along with Ole Miss transfer defensive tackle Tywone Malone. After that, true freshman wide receiver Bryson Rodgers joined true freshman cornerback Jermaine Mathews in receiving the post-practice honor. Like Rodgers and Mathews, transfer cornerback Lorenzo Styles Jr. also lost his black stripe last week. The most recent black stripe honorees are wide receiver Noah Rogers, defensive tackle Kayden McDonald, offensive lineman Josh Padilla and wide receiver Brandon Inniss — all true freshmen — along with Reese and Carter.
