The Ohio State football program has struggled with special teams for the last few years. Even after firing special teams coordinator Parker Fleming, the Buckeyes have been poor on special teams for the last couple of years. It has been a distressing aspect of their roster.
Jayden Fielding was a disaster in each of the last two years, especially when it came to making field goals in big games. Fielding missed field goals in the Big Ten Championship and in the Cotton Bowl. The Ohio State Buckeyes fixed that by adding Connor Hawkins from the Transfer Portal.
Punting has been an issue for the Buckeyes in the last couple of seasons, as well. Joe McGuire simply hasn't been good enough. Ohio State has addressed that problem as well. Ohio State has landed punter Brady Young from the Transfer Portal.
Ohio State football team lands punter Brady Young from the Transfer Portal
Young previously played for Cincinnati and Houston Christian, so he has experience playing P4 football. He averaged 42.3 yards per punt on 68 punts last season. He can't be much worse than McGuire, so he will at least battle for the starting job. That should push one of them to be better.
Ohio State's poor punting put the defense in poor spots throughout the season. Luckily, Ohio State statistically had the best defense in the country. They were able to handle the poor field position they were constantly being put in because of poor punts from McGuire.
Day has finally addressed the big special teams issues on the roster. The hope is that neither kicker nor punter is an issue in 2026. Ohio State should have a lot of offensive talent returning next season, so they feel confident they can make a run at a national title.
Fans would feel great if special teams were a concern of the past.