With six seasons of college football experience, Tristan Gebbia was expected to be one of the earliest Ohio State newcomers to shed his black stripe this spring. That turned out to be true.
After Ohio State's eighth spring practice on Saturday, the Oregon State transfer quarterback became the fifth player to "officially" become a Buckeye in 2023, following in the footsteps of redshirt freshmen offensive linemen Tegra Tshabola and George Fitzpatrick, Ole Miss transfer cornerback Davison Igbinosun and true freshman wide receiver Carnell Tate.
— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) April 3, 2023
welcome to the brotherhood, @tgeb_#GoBucks pic.twitter.com/bFVY31bB77
Gebbia has been an integral part of Ohio State's quarterback room since his arrival in January, not because he's in the middle of a competition with Kyle McCord and Devin Brown, but because he's "almost another coach in the room," McCord told Eleven Warriors. The reason for that, head coach Ryan Day said in February, is Gebbia wants to be a graduate assistant and coach in the future, and the Buckeyes were the best opportunity to build his network before that career starts.
A former four-star quarterback in the class of 2017, Gebbia started his career at Nebraska. After two seasons in Lincoln, he transferred to Oregon State, where he made five starts between the 2019 and 2020 seasons. Gebbia did not play in 2021 due to a hamstring injury and appeared in only four contests in 2022.
Throughout his career at Oregon State, Gebbia completed 128 of 200 passing attempts for 1,250 yards and five touchdowns with four interceptions and added three rushing touchdowns on the ground. He also added an 8-yard touchdown catch and a surprising 40-yard punt in 2020.
This year, Gebbia will provide Ohio State with a veteran presence in the quarterback room and offer additional depth behind whoever wins the starting quarterback competition between McCord and Brown. He could also mentor younger quarterbacks like Lincoln Kienholz and walk-ons Chad Ray and Mason Maggs.
In addition to Gebbia, walk-on offensive lineman Quinton Burke lost his black stripe on Saturday. The Lancaster, Ohio, native has been with the Ohio State football program since the 2021 season and was formerly an all-league and all-district lineman for Lancaster High School from 2016-19.
— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) April 3, 2023
newest member of the OLine, @Q_Burke64#GoBucks pic.twitter.com/L4hjhobbcx
| PLAYER | POS | DATE | STATUS |
|---|---|---|---|
| TEGRA TSHABOLA | OL | MARCH 23 | R-FRESHMAN |
| GEORGE FITZPATRICK | OL | MARCH 23 | R-FRESHMAN |
| DAVISON IGBINOSUN | CB | MARCH 25 | SOPHOMORE |
| CARNELL TATE | WR | MARCH 25 | FRESHMAN |
| TRISTAN GEBBIA | QB | APRIL 1 | GRADUATE |
| QUINTON BURKE | OL | APRIL 1 | SENIOR |
