I should be studying, but procrastination has hit me hard—lol.

Since today is Student Appreciation Day and Quincy Porter just got his black stripe removed, I got curious about the career progression of the top five fastest players to get their black stripes removed from their respective classes. Here’s the list:

2018

1. Aaron Cox, DL, SO – March 30
2. De'Shawn White, WR, SO – March 30
3. Tommy Togiai, DL, FR – April 11
4. Dallas Gant, LB, FR – August 8
5. Teradja Mitchell, LB, FR – August 9

2019

1. Logan Hittle, LB, RS JR – March 21
2. Cade Kacherski, LB, RS FR – March 21
3. Ben Schmiesing, LB, RS FR – March 21
4. Justin Fields, QB, SO – March 25
5. Darryl Sinclair, CB, RS SO – March 25

2020 

1. Trey Sermon, RB – September 16
2. Jaxon Smith-Njigba, WR – September 21
3. Kourt Williams, S – September 21
4. Gee Scott Jr., WR – September 23
5. Ty Hamilton, DE – September 26

2021

1. Jacolbe Cowan, DL – April 2
2. Marvin Harrison Jr., WR – April 66
3. Jack Sawyer, DE – April 6
4. TreVeyon Henderson, RB – April 10
5. Emeka Egbuka, WR – April 13

2022

1. Tanner McCalister, S (Transfer) – March 28
2. Kye Stokes, S (Freshman) – April 8
3. Caden Curry, DE (Freshman) – April 11
4. Chip Trayanum, LB (Transfer) – August 9
5. Jyaire Brown, CB (Freshman) – August 9

2023

1. Tegra Tshabola, OT, R-Freshman – March 23
2. George Fitzpatrick, OT, R-Freshman – March 23
3. Davison Igbinosun, CB, Sophomore – March 25
4. Carnell Tate, WR, Freshman – March 25
5. Tristan Gebbia, QB, Graduate – April 1

2024

1. Jeremiah Smith, WR, Freshman – March 21
2. Brennen Schramm, WR, R-Freshman – March 21
3. Caleb Downs, S, Sophomore – March 26
4. Quinshon Judkins, RB, Junior – March 26
5. Will Howard, QB, Graduate – March 30

2025

1. Miles Lockhart, CB, R-Freshman – March 29
2. Max Klare, TE, Junior – March 31
3. Dominic Kirks, DE, R-Freshman – April 1
4. Simon Lorentz, OL, R-Freshman – April 1
5. Eric Mensah, DT, R-Freshman – April 3

Thoughts

1. It seems that if you are part of the top 5 fastest to get your black stripe removed, you have a 60% chance of craving out significant playing time.
2. The 2018 and 2019 black stripe class stands out as particularly disappointing. This could be attributed to Ryan Day’s first year as head coach, potentially losing out on key recruits, or perhaps the class simply had more late bloomers. Somebody with a better memory let me know.
3. The 2021 black stripe class seems legendary.
4. The 2024 black stripe class seems very top loaded with transfers and we all know how that played out.

Questions to Ponder:

1. Which players were you most surprised to see have their stripes removed so quickly?
2. Were there any players you thought were ready but were surprised not to see listed?
3. Which black stripe players seemed destined for greatness but didn’t live up to the hype?
4. Which players do you still think have a good chance to contribute?
5. Which players from the 2025 black strip class do you think will make the most contribution?