Everybody knows that one of the best parts of being a sports fan is debating and dissecting the most (and least) important questions in the sporting world with your friends. So, we’re bringing that to the pages of LGHL with our favorite head-to-head column: You’re Nuts.
In You’re Nuts, two LGHL staff members will take differing sides on one question and argue their opinions passionately. Then, in the end, it’s up to you to determine who’s right and who’s nuts.
Today’s Question: Which transfer are you most excited to watch as a Buckeye this season?
Jami’s Take: Connor Hawkins
Let’s get this
out of the way up top: Connor Hawkins didn’t have a great start to fall camp, and the Ohio State corners of the internet had their feathers in a kerfuffle over it.
I can’t blame them, really. The ghosts of missed field goals past—notably in the 2024 loss to Michigan and last season’s Big Ten Championship Game loss to Indiana, both 13-10 decisions—are still haunting us.
But I’m here to tell you that not only is it not time to panic but also that Connor Hawkins is still the transfer I’m most excited to see take the field this fall. For a team that doesn’t deal in mediocrity, special teams has been mediocre for far too long, and Hawkins is, in my opinion, the one who’s going to turn that around. I’m not ready to give up on him because of one misstep early in camp.
Hawkins comes to Ohio State via the portal on the heels of a solid 2025 season at Baylor. As a redshirt sophomore, he saw action in 11 games in 2025, hitting 18-of-22 field goal attempts (81.8 percent) and making 100 percent of his extra point attempts.
Where I am most excited to see Hawkins in action is on kicks from a distance, where his consistency in real-game scenarios is particularly encouraging, especially after the Buckeyes’ missed field goals in both the Big Ten Championship and the Cotton Bowl against Miami.
Hawkins, in contrast, hit two separate 53-yard field goals last season—including one as the clock wound down to secure a 54-53 victory over Kansas State in the final seconds of the game—in addition to a career-long 54-yard kick.
Of his four misses, none of them were less than 41 yards, and none of them fundamentally altered the outcome of the game. In fact, he was 10-for-10 on kicks under 40 yards, and he went 3-for-4 on kicks longer than 50. It’s a promising step in the right direction for a team that hasn’t been able to rely on its kicker to add points to the board when a drive stalls in several seasons, forcing Ryan Day to make decisions about whether it was riskier to kick or go for it.
Hawkins injected a modicum of hope into a special teams unit that has been the catalyst for a lot of frustration from coaches and fans alike in recent seasons. At spring camp, he announced his arrival in Columbus with a kick straight through the uprights in a high-pressure situation. To the Texas native, it seemed like business as usual.
If fall camp started off rockier than one would hope, Hawkins seemed to course-correct by the third practice, drilling a field goal and seemingly shaking off whatever jitters plagued him on Day One.
Hopefully, Hawkins can continue on this path and deliver on his potential, especially given how challenging the Buckeyes’ schedule is this year. It’s not far-fetched to assume several games could come down to three points or fewer.
Based on preseason rankings, the Buckeyes will face No. 4 Texas on the road in Week 2, No. 2 Oregon in early November, and, in total, play six teams in the preseason top 25, along with Illinois, which was on the cusp. A reliable kicker provides an important safety net, and Hawkins’ ability to hit shots from long range and perform under pressure opens up some options for the Buckeye offense.
In spite of how camp started, Hawkins is still generating buzz. Just last Friday, he was named to the 2026 Lou Groza Award, given annually to college football’s best place kickers, and regardless of whether he wins or not, his addition to the roster feels like a breath of fresh air.
With the missed 27-yard kick in the Big Ten Championship fresh in my mind, I’m excited by Hawkins’ ability to put up valuable points for the Buckeyes where it counts. In a season where every point will matter if OSU is going to hold on to its preseason No. 1 ranking, he is capable of tangibly changing the outcome of games, especially under the tutelage of new special teams coordinator Robby Discher, who comes to Ohio State from Illinois.
Certainly, I want to see Hawkins improve on the start of camp — and I’m sure Discher has a plan to get him there—but I do think he has the potential to make a major impact for the Buckeyes this year. If he manages to live up to the hype, it will be a welcome improvement on what we’ve seen over the past few seasons.
Matt’s Take: Devin McCuin
There are few position groups in college football where I am less inclined to worry about talent than Ohio State wide receivers. Even after Brian Hartline’s departure for USF, Cortez Hankton and the OSU staff deserve the benefit of the doubt when it comes to acquiring and developing talent.
So, when I say that I am legitimately excited to see what UTSA transfer Devin McCuin can do this season, it isn’t because the Buckeyes desperately need someone — anyone — to emerge at receiver. Quite the opposite; this room is absolutely loaded, which is what makes the early training camp buzz around McCuin so intriguing.
Jeremiah Smith is obviously Jeremiah Smith. Brandon Inniss is entering his fourth season in the program and has seemingly been waiting forever to become a major part of the offense. Then you have Chris Henry Jr., one of the most talented receivers in the 2026 recruiting class, along with Brock Boyd, Jerquaden Guilford, Kyle Parker, and others fighting for snaps.
And yet, through the first few days of preseason camp, McCuin’s name kept coming up. Observers at Ohio State’s first practices repeatedly mentioned him as one of the receivers making plays, and Ryan Day said that McCuin had put himself in position to compete for the No. 3 receiver job.
That is notable because McCuin isn’t some portal afterthought. The receiver was legitimately productive at UTSA; last season, he led the Roadrunners with 65 catches for 726 yards and eight touchdowns, earning third-team All-AAC honors. Over three seasons, he totaled 152 receptions, 1,696 yards, and 16 touchdowns while catching at least one pass in 31 consecutive games. Admittedly, he hasn’t faced a ton of high-quality competition, but that’s what makes the preseason camp hype intriguing.
At 6-foot, 195 pounds, McCuin also gives Ohio State something slightly different. He has experience playing outside, can work from the slot, has enough speed to threaten defenses vertically, and — perhaps most importantly for a veteran transfer — already understands how to get open against college defensive backs. He isn’t coming to Columbus needing two years to figure everything out. He has played a ton of football.
That makes the battle with Inniss especially fascinating. I had assumed that, based on his experience and leadership, Inniss would just naturally slide into the No. 2 WR spot this season, but if McCuin proves to be the better option, Ohio State isn’t going to play someone simply because he is a returning captain.
Of course, wide receiver is not one of those positions where you have to pick three guys and no one else gets to play. So whether Inniss or McCuin, both, or neither, are in the official starting three doesn’t really matter, as there will be plenty of opportunities to catch balls this season.
And that is ultimately why I am so excited to watch McCuin. Ohio State already has the best receiver in college football, multiple former blue-chip recruits, and more young talent waiting behind them. If a guy can transfer in from UTSA and immediately force his way into that rotation, that tells me he is doing something pretty special.
