Joe McGuire is Ohio State’s clear week-to-week starter at punter, but through the Buckeyes’ first five games his tape and box-score tell a mixed story.
McGuire has averaged a respectable 42.3 yards on nine
punts this season (long of 55) while only dropping three punts inside the 20. That line, good enough to be competent, also masks game-to-game variance.
McGuire handled most of the workload (six punts) in the Texas opener, and against Minneosta produced two effective directional punts that pinned them inside the 20, yet he also had a quiet 35-yard punt at Washington and a handful of boots that lacked consistent distance or hang time.
The season totals and game logs through Oct. 8 show the quantity and the volatility — nine punts, 381 yards, 42.33 average.
That inconsistency is the root of most of the handwringing among observers.
McGuire’s 2024 resume was stronger. He became the week-in, week-out starter and finished that year with 47 punts (42.1 average), 14 downed inside the 20 and only three touchbacks — proof he can be a high-value specialist when he’s locked in.
This season, however, analysts have flagged a higher frequency of short punts and fewer boomers. McGuire has produced more punts under 40 yards than 50-yard bombs so far in 2025, a trend that tightens Ohio State’s field-position margins and forces its coverage units to shoulder extra work.
The talent and track record are evident, but the consistency hasn’t followed.
The backup with boom in reserve
Backing him is fellow Melbourne product Nick McLarty, a sophomore with ridiculous size (listed at 6-foot-7, 255) and a demonstrable leg. McLarty’s on-field resume at Ohio State through Oct. 8 is tiny — one collegiate punt, a 45-yard boot against Grambling State — but that single live snap showcased the upside coaches like in his profile.
Distance, the ability to flip field position quickly and the physical traits project well in hang-time work and directional kicking. For now he’s depth with flashing traits, and if McGuire’s reliability doesn’t stabilize, McLarty is the internal candidate with the clearest pathway to more reps.
There’s a programmatic reason Ohio State has confidence in both men. The Buckeyes have leaned into special-teams structure and coaching this year.
Quality control and special-teams coaching additions, including former Buckeye special-teams standout Nate Ebner working as a special-teams quality-control coach and Rob Keys running the special-teams room, mean Ohio State is investing staff resources to correct the small errors that magnify on punts (coverage lanes, directional placement, hang-time technique and return-unit decisions).
The staff’s message has been clear: field position lives and dies with the little things, fixing situational execution is priority one.
What to watch going forward:
- Inside-20 percentage. McGuire’s three punts downed inside the 20 so far are useful, but that rate needs to rise to make his gross average more valuable. Opponents’ starting field position is the hidden scoreboard.
- Game-to-game variance. How often does McGuire dip below 40 yards on a necessary flip or fail to generate hang time that allows coverage to get downfield?
- McLarty’s opportunities. Does the staff give McLarty situational reps in low-leverage moments, or will they elect to bring him along gradually?
If the Buckeyes want to wring more value from special teams, they’ll need McGuire to regain the steady, pin-point touch he showed in 2024, or accelerate McLarty’s development until the latter can shoulder a larger load.
Bottom line is Ohio State’s punting room looks comfortably rostered on paper. Two Australians with contrasting profiles (a steady veteran and a boom-leg backup), but the team’s special-teams margins remain narrow.
McGuire has the resume and the starter’s nod, and his 2025 numbers so far are workable yet uneven. McLarty brings legitimate upside, and the coaching depth around special teams suggests the Buckeyes will try to squeeze every hidden yard out of this unit.
For a team chasing national goals, a one or two-yard swing in average starting field position per drive can be championship-level impact, so expect the staff to keep evaluating both players and to be willing to nudge the rotation if the data points toward change.
