Spring practice to begin OSU’S kicking competition
Editor’s note: In advance of spring practice at Ohio State, The Dispatch is previewing each of the Buckeyes’ position groups. Today: Special teams.
While Ohio State has a returning punter in Jesse Mirco, it is in search of a kicker to handle field goals and extra points with Noah Ruggles’ eligibility expired.
There is no shortage of options in a wide-open competition.
Special-teams coordinator Parker Fleming mentioned several candidates to replace Ruggles in the role, a group that includes Parker Lewis, who transferred from Southern California last offseason.
Lewis redshirted in his first season with the Buckeyes, though he is the most experienced returner. He made 26 of 35 field-goal attempts in his two seasons as the Trojans’ primary kicker, including one from as long as 52 yards.
“He’s a powerful kicker,” Fleming said. “He’s talented.”
The others are Jayden Fielding, who joined the Buckeyes as a preferred walkon last year and took over kickoff duties for Ruggles.
“Playing in any game in any role is experience,” Fleming said. “He didn’t kick any field goals or extra points during the season, but because he was the travel guy and the kicker who was kicking off, he was our backup all last season.”
Then there’s Casey Magyar, who transferred from Kent State earlier this winter and made one of two extra-point tries with the Golden Flashes in 2021, and Jake Seibert, who has been with the program for three seasons. As the backup behind Blake Haubeil in 2020, Seibert made one of two field-goal attempts and all 16 of PATS over three games.
Scholarship count
4: Lewis, Seibert, Jesse Mirco, John Ferlmann
Player to watch
It took until late September before Lewis was ruled eligible by the NCAA, a delay that led him to fall behind some of the other kickers, as Fleming said last month. With the eligibility issue well behind him, Lewis should have the opportunity to impress the staff with a strong leg on both field goals and kickoffs. In his last season at USC in 2021, nearly 80% of Lewis’ kickoffs resulted in touchbacks, higher than the touchback percentages from either Fielding (43.8%) or Ruggles (21.2%).
Coach comment
“It’s our job as a coaching staff, and as a team, to find the best players at every position no matter what the circumstances are. We have some guys that have a leg up from some experience perspective, but the best guy will kick and that’s what we’re trying to find out this spring.” — Fleming on the search for a kicker.
Key stat
40.8: Net punting average by Ohio State last season, ranking No. 23 in the Football Bowl Subdivision
Final outlook
The battle at kicker could hinge a lot on accuracy. It was Ruggles’ strong suit as he made 37 of 41 field-goal attempts over his two seasons at Ohio State, leaving him with a percentage (90.2%) that ranked as the highest for a career in program history. From inside 50 yards, Ruggles missed only twice. Coach Ryan Day emphasized the trait when the Buckeyes last went through a kicking competition in 2021, leading them to pursue Ruggles as a transfer from North Carolina. Expect consistency from short range to be weighed as a factor.