Amid struggles throughout the first half of the season, punter Joe McGuire will remain the Buckeyes starter.
Head coach Ryan Day said in his weekly press conference Tuesday that with backup punter Nick McLarty’s play still being inconsistent in practice, the junior McGuire would retain his spot as Ohio State’s starter.
“We haven’t punted a whole bunch. The sample size is probably a mixed bag right now. We need to continually look at it and evaluate it and make sure we’re doing what’s best. But Joey will be our punter right now,” Day said.
A product of Melbourne, Australia, McGuire is in his second season as the Buckeyes starter, and after a solid season last year, he’s had an up-and-down 2025 campaign.
McGuire played a major role in Ohio State’s Week One win over Texas, with two punts of over 50 yards, including a 55-yard boot, with one punt being pinned inside the Longhorns’ 20-yard line.
McGuire didn’t punt in the Buckeyes’ contests against Grambling State or Ohio, but averaged 35 yards on one punt at Washington, 43 yards on two punts versus Minnesota and 37.75 yards on four punts against Illinois. None of his seven boots traveled more than 45 yards, though three were pinned inside the 20-yard line.
Although McGuire’s overall performance has been below-average in comparison to NCAA averages. McGuire doesn’t meet the minimum requirement of 2.5 punts per game to qualify for the statistic, but if he did, his 40.92-yard average would rank 97th nationally.
With McGuire faltering at times, there has been talk about playing the fellow Aussie and 6-7, 255 pound McLarty. Though McLarty has attempted just one punt this season — a 45-yarder against Grambling State — some have called for the Melbourne native to earn more playing time.
Day said Ohio State puts a strong emphasis on its punt game and special teams overall, noting that it’s a consistent point of focus during practice and an area where the Buckeyes still see room to improve.
“We work at it a lot. It will be the first thing we do on Tuesday. I think we have the right guys in the game, we always take a look at that, in terms of protection and guys covering. I think it’s been solid, but I know we can do better.”
