Ohio State has its kicker for the 2026 season after Baylor transfer Connor Hawkins committed to Ohio State on Wednesday.
The Buckeyes were without a kicker going into next season after Jayden Fielding ran out of eligibility and Jackson Courville –who transferred to OSU from Ball State last offseason — entered the transfer portal and signed with Tulane.
Hawkins, who will be a sophomore for the 2026 season, was 18 of 22 on field goals with the Bears last year with a long of 54 yards. He was 3 of 4 on kicks from 50 yards or longer and 5 of 8 on kicks from 40 yards or further.
The last Buckeye kicker to make a field goal from 50-plus yards was Blake Haubeil, who nailed a 55-yarder at Northwestern in 2019. Fielding’s career long was 49 yards, which came in the 2025 season.
Fielding had some late struggles in his senior season with Ohio State, missing a 27-yard chip shot against Indiana late in the fourth quarter of the Big Ten championship that would have tied the score at 13. He also missed two field goals in the 13-10 loss to Michigan in the 2024 season.
While Fielding had his struggles in some big moments, he was mostly reliable, making 45 of 57 kicks over three years being the primary kicker for OSU. He also helped to seal the win in the 2024 national championship win over Notre Dame after the famous “third-and-Jeremiah” play, putting three points on the board to make the game out of reach for the Fighting Irish.
