Ohio State freshmen Favour Akih, Nick Lautar shed black stripes during off week

Ohio State used its only open week of the season to promote two more freshmen. Running back Favour Akih and tight end Nick Lautar had the black stripes taken off their helmets Thursday after the Buckeyes' third practice of the week, Buckeyes Wire and 247Sports reported. Both are Ohio natives, and both are now full members of the program under a tradition Urban Meyer brought to Columbus in 2012 and Ryan Day has kept.

The stripe has nothing to do with the depth chart, but it shows the coaches trust a player, and the timing matters here. With veterans resting during the bye, 247Sports noted, younger players got more practice reps than they would in a normal game week. Both freshmen made the most of them.

Akih, a four-star prospect from Delaware, Ohio, was rated the No. 22 running back nationally in the 247Sports Composite. He was a sprinter in high school, running 10.9 seconds in the 100 meters and 22.04 in the 200 in spring 2025, and scouts liked his ability to break arm tackles between the tackles. Buckeyes Wire called the running back room thin and said Akih may not play much right away, but he gives the staff another body there. Director of player development C.J. Barnett told the team Akih has "a motor that don't stop," according to 247Sports.

Lautar, from Lebanon, Ohio, has already appeared in three of the seven games and played 17 snaps without recording a statistic. Outlets differ on his recruiting rank: 247Sports listed him as the No. 24 tight end, while Buckeyes Wire put him at No. 30 in the composite. Barnett praised his blocking at the point of attack. Lautar was the only high school tight end in a room the Buckeyes otherwise restocked with transfers Hunter Welcing and Mason Williams.

The two join the in-season removals of safety Deshawn Stewart, linebacker Cincere Johnson and offensive lineman Max Riley. Eleven Warriors' tracker shows that most of the 2026 freshman class has now lost its stripes.

What it means for USC

Ohio State comes out of the bye at 6-1. The Buckeyes return Oct. 31 for a night trip to No. 16 USC on NBC. Their only loss was 24-23 at No. 4 Texas in Week 2, and they have won five straight since. Three of those wins came against ranked teams or on the road: 31-14 at No. 14 Iowa, 45-16 over Maryland and 19-15 at No. 5 Indiana last time out.

The overall numbers are lopsided. Ohio State has outscored opponents 275-94, about 39 points per game against 13 allowed. The Indiana game was the outlier. The defense held up in a low-scoring game, but the offense was held under 20 points for the first time this season. USC will be the third ranked opponent the Buckeyes face on the road in four weeks.

Neither Akih nor Lautar is likely to decide that game. Still, in November depth gets tested, and on a running back room already described as thin, adding a freshman the coaches trust gives Day one more option for the final five regular-season games.