Ohio State Football: Buckeyes better have a kicker in 2023

The Ohio State football team will have a new kicker in 2023. Parker Lewis and Jayen Fielding are in a heated battle.

The Ohio State football team ended its season last year in the Peach Bowl on a botched Noah Ruggles 50-yard field goal attempt. Ruggles, who was rock solid for two straight seasons, just didn’t have the leg for long field goals, thus overcompensating and pulling the ball way wide left on the attempt.

Had Ruggles made that kick it probably would have meant a Buckeye national title in 2022. So, to say that kickers don’t matter, there is proof that they do. They can make or break a season very easily.

Ruggles is now gone, and a new kicker must be assigned by Ryan Day and special teams coach Parker Flemming. The leader in the clubhouse is former USC transfer Parker Lewis, who was 26-35 on field goals while at USC. But it’s still a close battle as sophomore Jayden Fielding is pushing for the job.

"“You got two guys that can get it done,” Parker Fleming said to SI.com. “We’re just trying to make sure we finalize it the right way and have the best guy going when it’s time to kick the ball.”"

I think Ohio State is in a good spot with these two players on its roster. Lewis is a proven commodity as Parker Flemming made him a priority in the transfer portal last year. Lewis also has a big leg capable of making kicks from 50-60 yards. He has a career-long of 53 from his USC days.

Fielding however was brought in two recruiting cycles ago as a preferred walk-on from IMG Academy in Florida. He was highly sought after by many top college programs. Fielding did miss a 40-yard field goal attempt in the Spring game, however.

I hope whoever the coaches select will be able to knock down field goals at a good clip. And as we saw last season, a kicker is very important in the game of football. Hopefully, for Ohio State’s sake, they have one.