Linebacker Justin Hilliard, a 5-star prospect from Cincinnati (Ohio) St. Xavier, is the latest Buckeye from the class of 2015 to have his black stripe removed.

Here's a link for the short read.

With Joshua Perry headed to the NFL and the possibility of Darron Lee leaving a year early, Hilliard is expected to play a significant role next year. Does this mean we'll see him contribute on the field of play over the last four weeks of the 2015 regular season or do we have another redshirt situation on our hands?

It's been a topic of discussion through the course of the regular season but it seems like incoming freshman are taking considerably longer to lose the black stripe and contribute year one. The discussion has centered around whether this an effect of the players being recruited or perhaps the criteria for losing the stripe has been elevated and while opinions vary, I think we can all agree that we're excited to see Justin reach this milestone!

What it holds for the rest of 2015, we shall see.