He might be the most popular guy on his way to Columbus. We're of course talking about new Ohio State kicker commit Connor Hawkins, who gave Ryan Day and his staff the news they were hoping for on Wednesday night.
Ohio State football fans can rejoice after latest big-time transfer commitment
With the way special teams have looked of late for Ohio State, there was no question that the Buckeyes needed to bring in some quality help, especially with Jayden Fielding all out of eligibility and on his way out of town.
Think people are pretty excited for Hawkins to be making the move to Big Ten country? Right after his commitment was announced, Hawkins took to social media for a short and sweet message for the Ohio State fanbase. People have flooded the comments by showing him nothing but love:
Let’s roll! @OhioStateFB 🌰 https://t.co/piHOXAZEYG
— Connor Hawkins (@connor_hawk1ns) January 15, 2026
Ohio State fans are jacked up for Connor Hawkins committing to Ryan Day
Can you blame Ohio State supporters for being so thrilled? Hawkins was a stud kicker for Baylor last season, connecting on 37-of-37 PATS, while also hitting 18-of-22 field goal tries. This is exactly the kind of addition the Buckeyes needed.
Yes, there are other priorities that have been attacked via the portal, but you can't overlook the value a solid kicker can bring to the table. Ohio State has been in dire need of a stud there and Hawkins has provided just that with his latest decision.
Come Monday, everyone will be watching Indiana and Miami face off in the CFP title game. This is a contest that plenty of us thought the Buckeyes would be playing in, but the team fell short of its goal of repeating as the national champs.
Since then, Day's focus has been the portal and plenty of strides are being made. While there's still more work to get done, bringing in someone like Hawkins can prove to be a total game-changer for the 2026 season. Day zeroed in on him and signing him is a win that's no question going to make a sizable impact moving forward.