Ohio State lands under-the-radar portal commit that fans shouldn't sleep on

The veteran kicker has a golden right boot.
Ohio State Buckeye head coach Ryan Day addresses his team after the spring game at Ohio Stadium on April 12, 2025.
Ohio State Buckeye head coach Ryan Day addresses his team after the spring game at Ohio Stadium on April 12, 2025. | Kyle Robertson/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

For the second time in recent days, Ryan Day has landed a transfer portal commitment that might not be at the sexiest of positions, but it's no doubt one that people should appreciate. In this case, we're talking about kicker Jackson Courville announcing for the Ohio State Buckeyes.

Day is prioritizing the special teams of late and that's no question a good thing. Courville is making the move to Columbus from Ball State. He was a reliable kicker for Ball State over the past two seasons and now he's ready to make a bit of noise in the Big Ten now that he's going to be suiting up for Ohio State:

Ball State kicker Jackson Courville has committed to the Ohio State Buckeyes

A 5-10, 180-pounder originally from Dayton, Courville appeared in nine games for Ball State as a sophomore last season. He was 11-of-13 on his field-goal attempts and 30-of-31 on his PAT tries. His season was headlined by a 52-yard field goal as time expired to power Ball State to a thrilling win over Northern Illinois.

The season before, the newest Ohio State pledge was 15-of-21 on his FG tries and 24-of-25 with his PATs. As you can see, he's quite consistent when it comes to putting the ball inside of the uprights, which is exactly what Day is hoping he'll continue moving forward.

According to Bucknuts of 247Sports, Courville, who has two years of eligibility remaining, took a visit not long ago to Ohio State to meet with the staff and also kick in front of them. Clearly the visit went well, as it didn't take long for the Buckeyes to offer him a spot on the roster and for the veteran kicker to commit.

Jayden Fielding is the returning kicker for Ohio State - he went 13-of-17 on his FG attempts last season, while being an impressive 73-for-73 on his PATs. Courville will now look to push him for playing time, but having him on campus as depth at a minimum is a big win for the program.

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