Last Saturday at Ohio State’s spring practice, Cortez Hankton was standing on the field. He was watching Kyle Parker, a young wide receiver, earn one of the most symbolic honors a new Buckeye can receive, the removal of his black stripe. But when he talked about that moment in the press conference, his voice cracked. For a second, the veteran coach wasn’t fully present in Columbus anymore. He was somewhere else entirely, thinking about a kid he’d poured years of himself into, a kid who would never get his shot at Sunday.

“Let me just say this, because I think it’s important, like I truly enjoy, I use this game as a platform to help young men, and so Kyle Parker got the black stripe taken off tonight. That’s a big deal,” Hankton said, visibly emotional after the practice session. “And so when I step in between his white lines, I think about the guys that I’ve coached before, and a guy like Kyren Lacy, who’s like my son, right? And so, when I walk out here, I want to make sure that I honor his name and I do whatever I can to help every individual in that room.

“And to see KP, who was like a brother to Kyren, earn that, taking that black stripe off, man, it was really just fun and heartwarming to watch,” Hankton added, his voice still unsteady. “Because I know that dude would be smiling. I can see them dancing in the corner and celebrating. And it’s days like today that truly let you take the perspective of being faithful and grateful to be in this position as a coach’s job.”

To understand why that moment hit so hard, you have to go back to what happened almost exactly a year ago. Kyren Lacy, a 24-year-old wide receiver from Thibodaux, Louisiana, passed away on April 12, 2025, in Houston, Texas. 

He had been involved in a police pursuit following a domestic disturbance and died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound at the scene. It was less than two weeks before the NFL Draft was set to begin. It was a draft he had been preparing for all winter. He declared back in December, skipped LSU’s Texas Bowl, went through pro day workouts, and was ranked as high as the No. 6 wide receiver prospect in the class by ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. at one point. 

None of it got to happen.

To fully grasp the weight Hankton carries, you have to understand what Lacy was on that field. In the 2024 season alone at LSU, his final college campaign, Lacy caught 58 passes for 866 yards and tied for the SEC lead with nine touchdown receptions. He did it in just 12 games. 

He was the embodiment of everything Hankton was building at LSU. Hankton had turned the program into one of the premier wide receiver factories. Hankton had already shepherded Malik Nabers and Brian Thomas Jr. into first-round picks in the 2024 NFL Draft. Lacy was supposed to be next. Instead, Hankton had to watch the draft happen without him.

Kyle Parker was there at LSU to witness it all. He was the person connected to all of this. Parker was Lacy’s teammate at LSU, brought in as a highly regarded recruit in 2023. He played alongside him during the very season that made Lacy a draft prospect. The two were close. 

When Parker followed Hankton to Columbus after the season, he was, in some sense, carrying a piece of Lacy’s bond with him. And on Saturday, in just his fifth practice as a Buckeye, Parker became the first transfer portal addition of the offseason to shed his black stripe. This Ohio State tradition signals a player has officially crossed the threshold and proven he belongs.

For Hankton, seeing that happen was a sharp and sudden reminder of the kid who first built that friendship. That kid should have been watching from somewhere in an NFL film room right now, not being remembered through the tears of the man who coached him. 

He kept it together long enough to get the words out. But the crack in his voice told you how much it still hurts, and why men like Cortez Hankton coach the way they do.

Legal pressure on Kyren Lacy

Following a fatal December crash that resulted in the death of a 78-year-old man, authorities charged Kyren Lacy with negligent homicide, felony hit-and-run, and reckless vehicle operation. However, a newly surfaced video introduced fresh uncertainty. According to attorney Matt Ory, Lacy had already returned to his lane when the collision occurred.

“He was back in his lane of travel, 92.3 yards behind. He’s 72.6 yards behind the vehicles at the time of impact. Keyword: behind the vehicles. That is not how this story was ever painted. Never,” said Ory. Meanwhile, Liz Murrill confirmed her office is reviewing, signaling the stakes remain high even after Lacy’s death just two days before his grand jury appearance.

Now, the emergence of new evidence ensured that the case would remain under intense scrutiny. Aside from this legal point, the former LSU WR’s death is a big loss for the football world.