LB Tommy Eichenberg, QB J.P. Andrade Lose Black Stripes

Two more members of the Buckeyes’ 2019 recruiting class are now officially members of the team.

This week, LB Tommy Eichenberg and QB J.P. Andrade both had their black stripes removed.

The black helmet stripe signifies that a new player has not yet done enough, both on and off the field, to be considered an official member of the team. Having it removed is considered a major milestone for young Buckeyes.

Eichenberg was a late addition to the class of 2019, committing to the Buckeyes on December 6. He had previously been committed to Boston College.

He was ranked as a four-star prospect coming out of northeast Ohio power St. Ignatius.

Eichenberg has mostly worked on the scout team this fall, but saw his first game action late in the fourth quarter against Miami.

Andrade was an even later addition to the class. He announced his decision to join OSU as a walk-on on April 26 this year.

Andrade was a three-star prospect who picked the walk-on spot with the Buckeyes over a scholarship offer from South Alabama.

He didn’t get a chance to start practicing with the team until mid-way through fall camp due to NCAA regulations that cap the number of players practicing before classes start.

That means he earned his red stripe in just over a month of practices, which is impressive.

A total of 17 members of the team have lost their black stripes since fall camp opened. There is a complete list of 2018 stripe changes at the bottom of this post.

You can watch the videos announcing the news below.

?▪️ No stripe‼️ @tommyike41 got his black stripe off today‼️#GoBucks #ToughLove pic.twitter.com/1ZsYwPJaH2
— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) September 25, 2019

?▪️STRIPE ALERT‼️ Congratulations @JPAndrade12 on getting your stripe off‼️#GoBucks #ToughLove pic.twitter.com/V1JUtdQfr8
— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) September 25, 2019