Report: Ohio State Adds Potential Starter Via the Transfer Portal

Originally posted on Gridiron Heroics | By Cody Pestino | Last updated May 13, 2024 4:37 PM ET

Ohio State added a potential starting punter on May 12, adding former University at Buffalo starting punter Anthony Venneri as a walk-on transfer, via the transfer portal. Venneri was the starting punter for Buffalo the last two seasons and significantly improved from year one to year two. Ohio State’s former starting punter Jesse Mirco transferred to Vanderbilt this offseason. Sophomore punter Joe McGuire, an Aussie-style punter is currently slated to be the starter, but we’ll see if Venneri can make a run for the starting spot.

Ohio State Needs to Improve Their Special Teams Unit

In 2023 Ohio State’s special teams unit was borderline a disaster. In recent years, especially in big games, the Buckeyes special teams unit has struggled to flip the field when punting and missed key field goals. These miscues have added up over the years, leading to Ohio State firing their special teams coordinator Parker Fleming.

Anthony Venneri had a decent year at Buffalo posting a 63.3 PFF grade, nearly the same grade as Jesse Mirco. Venneri posted a poor 37.7 grade his freshman year, showing an ability to develop and improve. McGuire was on campus a year ago as he sat behind Mirco, and all signs still point to him being the starter.

Ohio State Has Not Offered Any Punters in 2025 or 2026

Although it is not uncommon for Ohio State to not offer many punters, they haven’t offered any punters in the next two recruiting cycles. It would be rare for a team to offer more than one punter in consecutive classes as teams only keep one scholorship punter on the roster at the same time.

This article first appeared on Gridiron Heroics and was syndicated with permission.

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