The Ohio State football team is more than halfway through spring practice. They have been getting some good work in. With 51 new guys on the roster, Ryan Day is trying to figure out how all of the pieces fit together. That's with a multitude of injuries, including a couple more that have recently happened.
Despite that, the Ohio State Buckeyes continue to get ready for the 2026 season. Day understands what it takes to win a national championship. He understands that special teams matters, and that has been a big deficiency for the team over the last few years.
The kicker position has been a big area of concern for fans. Jayden Fielding is finally gone, so the Buckeyes brought in Connor Hawkins from Baylor to take over his spot. Day seems impressed with him and trusts him, and that should give Ohio State fans some optimism.
Ryan Day's comments on Connor Hawkins should give fans hope
Day mentioned that he knows they are going to need Hawkins late in the season to make big kicks for them.
“We're trying to put those guys in situations almost every day — we did it again today — where we want to see those guys operate. The games are gonna come down to this, and we need these guys to step up in a big way,” Day said. “Connor is somebody who has been clutch. We've seen that before when he was at Baylor. He has experience making game-winning kicks and big kicks. We know that’s gonna come up this season.”
The Buckeyes really need to be able to count on Hawkins. Had Fielding been more trustworthy, Ohio State would have won the Big Ten last season. There's a chance they wouldn't have gotten blown out against the Hurricanes in the Cotton Bowl, as well.
Ohio State won't fully know what Hawkins is made of until he faces a pressure kick. That could happen as soon as the second game in the season against Texas.