Ohio State Cornerback Denzel Burke Loses Black Stripe

Burke is now an official member of the Buckeyes football program.

Freshman cornerback Denzel Burke became the sixth member of Ohio State’s 2021 recruiting class to have his black stripe removed, doing so following the Buckeyes’ practice on Saturday afternoon.

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— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) August 8, 2021

“I just want to thank God, man,” Burke said. “It’s a blessing to be on this team and to compete at the highest level. Shout to Zone 6 for getting me better and shoutout to BIA. Y’all know what it is.”

The 6-foot-1 and 192-pound Burke came to Columbus as a four-star prospect from Scottsdale (Ariz.) Saguaro, where he was rated as the eighth-best athlete and No. 196 prospect overall in his class. He enrolled in classes in January and participated in spring practice, impressing the coaching staff along the way.

“It's actually uncanny how natural he does a lot of things at corner for not having played there very much,” secondary coach Matt Barnes said in April. “I don't know if it's 7-on-7 development or he just had a trainer or somebody he worked with, but he does a lot of things naturally very well.

“It's been fun to watch. He has elite footwork and patience that you don't see from many people regardless of their age but particularly a young guy. To sit at the line of scrimmage and have the patience that he has to play press technique and some other techniques, he looks seasoned. I'll put it that way.

“Not that we're surprised, but I am to a degree. I’m just kind of blown away by how far along he looks at times. Now, he's still got a long way to go, don't get me wrong. But he looks pretty natural in there. We're really excited about him.”

Freshmen wide receiver Marvin Harrison and Emeka Egbuka, defensive end Jack Sawyer, running back TreVeyon Henderson and linebacker Reid Carrico all shed their stripes in the spring, meanwhile.

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