WATCH: Ohio State newcomer Connor Hawkins nails pressure field goal
New Ohio State kicker Connor Hawkins showed off his leg and nerves by splitting the uprights at the end of Student Appreciation Day Saturday.
It's not that Ohio State's kicking game was bad last season; there were just some very key moments in which the football didn't make it through the uprights, most notably against Indiana in the Big Ten Championship Game. Last year's kicker, Jayden Fielding , was serviceable, but if the Buckeyes are going to have those types of moments again, it's not a stretch to say that an upgrade might be needed. To that end, OSU brought in Baylor transfer Connor Hawkins.
He was 18-of-22 last season in field goal attempts and had a long of 54 yards. Simply kicking a field goal over 50 yards would be significant, seeing how OSU's Fielding didn't accomplish that feat last year -- or the year prior. At the end of the Student Appreciation Day practice on Saturday, Hawkins was put into a high-pressure situation and asked to boot the ball through the uprights.
He did not disappoint, splitting the uprights with force, right down the middle. Ohio State closed it’s Student Appreciation Day with a high-pressure kick for Connor Hawkins. He drilled it down the middle.
pic. twitter. com/eASMkj2kRb — Chase Brown (@chaseabrown__) April 4, 2026 Well done, and hopefully, this is a sign of what we'll see during the season.