Ohio State football landed the win Buckeye Nation has been waiting on from the transfer portal, and he’s set to start in Columbus
Ohio State is up to 12 transfer portal additions after this latest move.
The Ohio State Buckeyes are quickly filling up in the transfer portal and have been plenty active since it opened at the beginning of January.
Ohio State has the majority of its additions from the portal, and with the window now closing Friday, it picked up a key add Wednesday evening.
Ohio State lands a top kicker in the transfer portal
Former Baylor kicker Connor Hawkins committed to Ohio State Wednesday evening, after reports that he would visit on Thursday. The Buckeyes acted quickly to secure Hawkins’ commitment the same day he entered the portal, underscoring how badly they wanted him.
Bringing in a kicker was mandatory for the Buckeyes. Jayden Fielding exhausted his eligibility during the 2025 season, and Jackson Courville transferred to Tulane via the portal days ago. Hawkins is now the only kicker on the roster, and he’s set to handle kickoffs, field goals, and extra points.
Hawkins just finished up his redshirt freshman season by going 18-of-22 on field goals, and he was 3-of-4 on kicks of more than 50 yards. He kicked a long field goal of 54 yards in 2025. Ohio State hasn’t had a kicker make a field goal longer than 48 yards since the 2019 season.
Don’t be surprised if the Buckeyes still add competition and another leg as a backup. Competition brings out the best, and Hawkins could end up being joined by a class of 2026 kicker.
Ohio State is up to 12 additions in its transfer portal class and still has a couple of moves to make. The Buckeyes lost 30 players to the transfer portal, and they’re making their way back to a full roster.
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