Ohio State Lands Baylor Transfer Kicker Connor Hawkins

Ohio State University has secured a key addition to its football roster by landing Baylor transfer kicker Connor Hawkins, who committed to the Buckeyes on January 14, 2026. The move addresses a longstanding weakness in the special teams unit that contributed to the team's disappointing end to the 2025 season.

Hawkins, a redshirt freshman from Liberty Hill, Texas, steps in as the primary replacement for Jayden Fielding, who exhausted his eligibility after four seasons. During his time at Baylor, Hawkins connected on 18 of 22 field goal attempts last season, an 81.8 percent success rate, and was perfect on 37 extra-point tries. His career long is a 54-yard field goal, made in a November loss to Houston, and he succeeded on three of five attempts from beyond 50 yards. Those long-range capabilities mark a notable upgrade, as Ohio State has not had a kicker consistently reliable from that distance in recent years.

The need for a dependable kicker became evident in the Buckeyes' final games of 2025. In the Big Ten Championship against Indiana, Fielding missed a 28-yard field goal late in the fourth quarter that would have tied the score, handing the title to the Hoosiers in a...