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2026 tOSU Special Teams Discussion

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Fungo Squiggly said:
Would it, though? In 2025, he was:

6-7 from 20-29 (Fielding was 6-7, too)
7-8 from 30-39 (Fielding was 7-8, too)
7-8 from 40-49 (Fielding was 3-4 in 2025, but was 7-8 in 2024)
0-0 from 50+ (Fielding was 0-1)

He has a career-long of 50 made in 2024. Fielding has a career-long of 49 made in 2025z

He’s never missed a “very important kick” like Fielding has, but he’s also never had the opportunity to choke in a huge situation.

On paper, he’s basically the exact same player.
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The stats show the similarity in percentages, but he’s been consistent and clutch for two years solid. He’s been clutch when Illinois has needed him and even has 5 FGs in a single game. When the pressure is on, it seems like the kid can come up big with an “it” factor. That isn’t something we’ve had here in years.

In 2024:
6-6 from 20-29
6-6 from 30-39
4-6 from 40-49
 
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1926Buckeyes said:
I agree, but it’s also much more difficult to maintain elite ST performance than people are letting on. Tressel started out with an all time duo in Nugent and Groom, then slightly downgraded Sanders and then Huston. He had good Ps and Ks players after that, but no All Americans.

Here are the last 24 years of kickers:

Nugent (01-04) 82% (7-9 40-49, 5-6 50+) only found 04 splits, but he did have 8 career 50 yard FGs
Huston (05) 79% (5-8 40-49, 0-2 50+)
Pretorius (06-08) 77% (6-9 40-49, 3-5 50+)
Pettrey (06-09) 74% (12-13 40-49, 6-10 50+)
Barclay (09-10) 79% (4-7 40-49, 0-1 50+)
Basil (10-13) 78% (7-10 40-49, 1-5 50+)
Willoughby (15) 63% (0-3 40-49, 0-0 50+)
Durbin (16) - 77% (2-5 40-49, 0-0 50+)
Nuerenberger (14-18) 72% (6-15 40-49, 0-0 50+)
Haubeil (18-20) 80% (7-9 40-49, 1-1 50+)
Ruggles (21-22) 90% (11-11 40-49, 0-2 50+)
Fielding (23-25) 79% (15-20 40-49, 0-3 50+)

I was shocked to see Ruggles hit 100% from 40-49 and Fielding have more 40 yard FGs than everyone but, I assume, Nugent.

They can and should do better, but OSU has had 3 kickers that were >50% from 50+ in the last 25 years. If they find someone who hits >80% total and >65% from 50, it’d be the first time since Nugent, and probably only the 2nd time in school history. It’s not that they shouldn’t try, but this isn’t something that OSU had until recently and then stopped caring.

Also, this is still college. Tate Sandell won the Groza making 23-24 kicks, 8-9 from 50+, and 4 from 55+. The poor sob then went 1-3 against Bama, missing a 36 yarder and his first 50 yard miss of the season. It’s going to be hard to find a college kicker that’s a machine.
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As many here I'm sure remember, Tressel's kicker at YSU, Jeff Wilkins (49'ers, Eagles, Rams), spearheaded a training camp for kickers that Nugent attended, iirc. (It's a little hazy, but I'm pretty sure it was Wilkins' camp.) That was allegedly a main factor in his development. Don't know what happened to that camp. I wonder if Wilkins has ever been offered a coaching spot at OSU.
 
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lvbuckeye said:
The Ohio State men's soccer team was preseason #3. Offer some NIL money for one of those guys to come kick for the football team.
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Ha! I had 9 years of soccer experience by senior year in high school with a rather powerful soccer leg. I tried being the kicker on the football team that summer. Didn't turn out really well. Kicking a football is different. Coach once said, "Well his kicks are... interesting." Went back to the soccer team after a month.
 
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RuGettinIt said:
Here’s a quick search:

Key Kickers in the 2026 Transfer Portal:
  • Mateen Bhaghani (UCLA) 80% FG%. 5-9 from 50+ with a long of 57
  • Max Gilbert (Tennessee): 74% FG% 5-9 from 50+ with a long of 53
  • Abram Murray (Cal): 67% FG% long of 49, 0-0 from 50+
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A guy who is 67% with nothing from 50+ is a "key kicker"?
 
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SEREbuckeye said:
Added another long snapper.

Five-star long snapper, ranked 16th long snapper in class of 2024.

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Re: After a great conversation with @theGunnerDaniel and Coach Key I’m excited to announce that I’ve committed to @OhioStateFB!!

Just sayin': Apparently Ohio State does have a "kicking coach" or at least somebody that is referred to as a kicking coach.


Rob Keys

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  • Title: Quality Control - Kicking
Rob Keys enters his second season as a quality control coach at Ohio State in 2023. He will work with the Buckeyes’ special teams.

Keys spent 11 years at the helm of the University of Findlay football program, accumulating a 75-42 (.641) overall record. In 2021, leading the Oilers to their first conference title since joining the NCAA Division II ranks. For his efforts, he was named the Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) Coach of the Year and was voted the NCAA Division II Region 3 Coach of the Year.

During his time at Findlay, Keys led the Oilers to a pair of appearances in the NCAA Division II playoffs (2017, 2021) and coached ten players who achieved NCAA Division II All-American accolades. 179 of his athletes have earned all-conference accolades as well.

Keys was hired as the head coach at Findlay on Dec. 16, 2010 and also spent time as the Oilers co-defensive coordinator and special teams coordinator from 2000-04. Keys spent time coaching at West Virginia University, his alma mater, Indiana State University, Slippery Rock University, and the University of New Hampshire.

Also,


Gunner Daniel

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  • Position: Program Assistant - Special Teams
  • Alma Mater: Wagner '20 / Boston College '22
  • Hometown: Marysville, Ohio
  • Year in Coaching: First (First at Ohio State)
A long snapper during his playing career at Wagner College and Boston College, Gunner Daniel joined the Ohio State coaching staff in 2023 is a program assistant working with the special teams.

Daniel has additional coaching experience as a graduate assistant at the 2023 NFLPA Collegiate Bowl. He also served as a lead instructor at the Hammer Kicking Academy.

As a player, Gunner was a two-year starter and All-NEC selection at Wagner before finishing his career at Boston College in 2022.

A native of Marysville, Ohio, Daniel earned his bachelor’s degree from Wagner in 2020 and a master’s in sports administration from Boston College in 2022.
 
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ScriptOhio said:
He's still listed on the Ohio State site as "Football QC, Special Teams":

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Promoted to Special Teams coach would work for me. Checks all the boxes except kicking but hell maybe he can do that and we dont know about it. It's rather someone just be an expert in kicking mechanics help the actual kickers and a guy who played special teams work our coveted coverages and strategies. Just make the fucking kicks please.
 
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