Yes, this Brutus Buckeye is very tall. Meet Kurt Steelman

Within a week of Kurt Steelman learning that he made the Brutus Buckeye team, he joked that his entire hometown of Charlotte, North Carolina, found out thanks to his excited mother.

Brutus team members are sworn to secrecy about their role and are only allowed to share their news with a select few. Steelman said he wasn’t too worried though.

“They're too busy worrying about their fictional SEC and ACC,” Steelman teased.

Trying out for the Brutus team was the most effort Steelman had ever put into something, he said. He wasn’t entirely sure that he would make the team though.

From left, Brutus Buckeye team members Caleb Kies, Jeff Moody, Tyler Wisman and Kurt Steelman stretch inside Ohio Stadium at the start of a pre-sunrise conditioning workout on Aug. 25, 2025.

That’s because he’s 6-feet-6-inches tall.

“I’m not the traditional physical choice,” Steelman said.

The team affectionately calls him “Tall Brutus.”

There are no height requirements to be Brutus Buckeye. Anyone with enough team spirit is welcome to try out. But Steelman joining the team did create some new logistical challenges, he said.

For instance, football games are typically split between two team members. When Steelman is on the schedule, his coaches need to make sure that he’s with the second-tallest team member so it doesn’t look like Brutus had a growth spurt at halftime.