Ohio State immediately addresses kicking issues, offer nations top kicker

The Ohio State Buckeyes are well aware that they need to address the kicker position.

After years of struggling to find a consistent leg who can punch through points in a pinch, the program has seemingly realized that it cannot just sit back and hope things will change. The coaching staff has to go out there, recruit and do something about it.

On Thursday, Jan. 1, the Buckeyes officially offered the nation's top available 2026 high school kicker, Jacobo Echeverria, out of Upper St. Clair, Pa. In his senior campaign, he knocked through17-of-18 field goals, with a long of 41 yards, and made 54-of-56 extra points. He's currently ranked as a five-star kicker and projected to be a big help on special teams wherever he ends up going to college.

#OhioState offers the Nation’s Top Available 2026 High School Kicker Jacobo Echeverria (PA)

He went 17/18 FG (94%) 41 Long 54/56 XP in 2025 as a senior ✅ @BuckeyeScoop @Bucknuts247 @OhioStateFB @HKA_Tanalski @jaceche1 @JBook_37 @247Sports @OhioStFootball https://t.co/QYV50pZxPj pic.twitter.com/Ro61HKlowZ
— Kicker Tracker Recruiting (@kt_recruiting) January 2, 2026

The decision to send out an offer to a 2026 kicker this late comes due to the woes that have been on display from current kicker Jayden Fielding at the end of the 2025 campaign and in the College Football Playoffs. The senior leg missed a kick that would have tied the game in the Big Ten title matchup and a momentum-shifting kick before halftime against the Miami Hurricanes in the Cotton Bowl Classic.

Both games, the Buckeyes would go on and lose, with the missed field goals playing a part in the result.

For the past few seasons, from the outside, it's felt as though the Buckeyes have placed the kicker position on the back burner. They've seen 12 missed kicks since the notorious 2022 Peach Bowl loss to the Georgia Bulldogs, 42-41, where a game-winning field goal soared wide left from the leg of Noah Ruggles.

Showing interest in Echeverria gives the Buckeye faithful a sense of change within the minds of the coaching staff. It seems that there's finally an understanding of how critical it is to have a reliable and consistent kicker, especially if you want to compete for a national championship.

Echeverria has received multiple other Division I offers as he prepares to announce his college decision. According to his personal X page, Ohio State has joined Mercyhurst University, Army, Navy, UCLA, Arkansas State and Robert Morris as programs to give the 5-foot-11, 170-pounder an offer.

His high school coach at Upper St. Clair, Mike Junk, believes that Echeverria can be both a high-level collegiate and professional kicker.

"Without a doubt, he's got the talent to kick at a very high level — not only on Saturdays but possibly Sundays," Junko said.

The Buckeyes will hope to see him sign in the coming days as they start surveying the NCAA Transfer Portal as well, which opened on Friday, Jan. 2.