Former Ohio State Kicker Jayden Fielding Is Suing for Another Year of Eligibility

Jayden Fielding spent his entire college career with the Ohio State Buckeyes. He is now reportedly planning to sue to get one more year of eligibility.

On3 shared the report that came on the same day in which a Cleveland Browns player decided to head back to college football for one final year of eligibility. This comes in response to the NCAA changing rules to give players five years of eligibility. A player like Fielding left thinking he would not get a fifth year.

This is another twist in the bizarre new world of college football.

Will Jayden Fielding return to Ohio State?

Buckeyes fans who had a love-hate relationship with Fielding may be worried about him returning to the Buckeyes. The report from On3 notes he is hoping to enter the transfer portal if he is successful in court.

This comes after he signed with the Ottawa Redblacks of the Canadian Football league back in May. He was cut rather quickly, but he did sign and the fact he is aiming to go back to college shows a new problem for the NCAA to solve.

Ex-Ohio State kicker Jayden Fielding has filed a lawsuit in Illinois against the NCAA seeking the ability to transfer and use his 5th season of eligibility, his lawyer @heitner tells @CBSSports.

A former all-Big Ten selection, Fielding hit 16 of 20 FG attempts during the 2025… pic.twitter.com/3Fs7VInbKw
— Chris Hummer (@chris_hummer) August 20, 2026

Fielding was the Buckeyes' kicker for three years and went 45-57 on his field goals. Some fans will recall his miss in last year's Big Ten Championship game against the Indiana Hoosiers, or his two misses in 2024's loss to Michigan. Others will recall him being reliable for a college kicker.

He may not be able to come back even if he wanted to as the Buckeyes have seemingly moved on. Connor Hawkins is a new arrival via Baylor, where he went 18-22 on fields goals in 2025. He also went 3-4 from 50 yards or more.

The Fielding situation is a bizarre new trend where players are seeking to return to college football after spending time with professional teams. The issue will play out in the courts and may go in the players' favor after Thursday's decision to let several Ole Miss players return to school. That included Dae'Quan Wright, who was recently signed by the Browns during training camp.

Ohio State will open the season ranked No. 1 overall and has championship-or-bust expectations. Hawkins is in as kicker and will be relied upon to avoid any misses in key situations. Doing that will make fans move on from Fielding rather fast, even if he finds success with a new team in 2026.

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