The Ohio State football team has a tradition that every freshman must undergo: wear a black stripe on the helmet until you prove yourself in practice. Coach Urban Meyer started this as a rite of passage. Those that perform well during training can have their stripes removed and finally become part of the team.

This year, the first freshmen to get their stripes off were Raekwon McMillan and Curtis Samuel -- a linebacker and a running back, respectively. Coach Meyer has been very vocal about these recruits who have impressed him with their performance since they got on the campus field.

Now that the stripes have been removed, McMillan and Samuel can begin to call themselves true Buckeyes. It is quite an honor to be the first in their batch to achieve the feat. This bodes well for their chances of playing in the upcoming season. Of course, they will have to work hard to gain playing time given the number of trusted veterans on the roster.

Curtis Grant, for instance, is a senior linebacker that has done a lot of the Buckeyes throughout the years. He is unlikely to give his spot over to a young player at this point even if it is a highly-prized recruit like McMillan waiting in the wings. For now, the rookie will have to be patient while training with the second team.

Ezekiel Elliot is another Buckeye veteran that the team regularly counts on. Unfortunately, he sustained a wrist injury recently which will sideline him for a while. This leaves an opening for Samuel who plays the same position. Coach Meyer gave hints that this exactly what might happen since Samuel has shown great potential and has adjusted well to the college game.