The Ohio State Buckeyes have made a prized addition to the 2024 football class: Nick McLarty, a towering 6-foot-7, 255-pound forward from Melbourne, Australia McLarty pledge followed a surprise visit to the Buckeyes' campus, where he left a lasting impression on the coaching staff.

Punter with strong legs

Nick McLarty's journey to Ohio State began in the sun-kissed fields of Australia, where he honed his punting skills under the tutelage of such renowned coaches as Darren Bennett, Sav Rocca, Dwayne Armstrong and Aaron Perez. His booming kicks caught the attention of college recruiters and it wasn't long before Ohio State came calling.

A Full Scholarship to The Ohio State University

"After conversations with Coach Ryan Day, I'm honored to announce that I've received and committed to a full scholarship to The Ohio State University," McLarty shared on X (formerly known as Twitter). "I'd firstly like to thank Coach Rob Keys and Coach Gunner Daniel for the hospitality this week and truly believing in me. I cannot wait to work alongside both of you at OSU."

A Legacy of Australian Punters

McLarty follows in the footsteps of other Australian-born punters who have graced Ohio State's roster. Jesse Mirco, who handled punting duties for the past three seasons, recently transferred to Vanderbilt. Now, it's McLarty's turn to make his mark in the scarlet and gray.

The Competition Ahead

As McLarty prepares to join the Buckeyes this summer, he'll face stiff competition in fall camp. Joe McGuire and Hadi Jawad, both talented punters, will be vying for playing time alongside him. The battle for the starting punter position promises to be intense, but McLarty's powerful leg and precision could give him the edge.

Special Teams Excellence

McLarty isn't the only special teams player in Ohio State's 2024 class. Long snapper Morrow Evans, a walk-on favorite, will also help the Buckeyes’ kicking game. Together they will aim to maintain the Ohio State tradition of excellence in special categories.

Bryson Rodgers (twitter) from Zephyrhills Florida Wiregrass Ranch High School Class of 2023 is now committed to play football for Ohio State starting next year. The 3 Star recruit, the 46th best receiver in the country, 73th best overall in Florida, had 42 offers total with offers from Ohio State, LSU, Texas, Alabama, and Florida.

Crystal Ball and Recruitment

A Crystal Ball prediction was for the University of Florida. Rodgers was recruited by Brian Hartline for Ohio State, Holmon Wiggins for Alabama, and Adam Fuller and Ron Dugans for Florida State. He caught 42 passes in 2021 from Rocco Becht for 14 touchdowns and 645 yards.

Bryson Rodgers Visits

Rodgers will visit Ohio State on September 3rd, 2022, he unofficially visited the Buckeyes on April 16th. Was on hand for the Ohio State Spring Game. He also unofficially visited Florida State (April 9th), Miami University (March 31st) and Florida (March 15th).

Rodgers grew up in Warren Ohio and routed for the Ohio State University as a kid. He also plays 7-on-7 for Team Tampa with Ohio State commit CB Dijon Johnson. Florida wide receiver Bryson Rodgers is a playmaker that attacks the ball out of the air and has the athletic ability to add yards after catch. He is a smooth route runner and is always moving his feet. Rodgers has good height, speed and hands to be productive at the next level.

Ohio State 2023 Class

Ohio State is building an impressive class for the upcoming 2023 season and adding another piece to the puzzle from the Sunshine State. Ohio State now has 4 players from Florida in the 2023 class including Rodgers, Johnson, Mark Fletcher, and Cedrick Hawkins.

2012 Linebacker Camren Williams Switch from Penn State to Ohio State

A December Visit to Columbus

Recruiting analysts heard about a mid December visit of 2012 Catholic Memorial linebacker Camren Williams as he was arriving in Columbus with his family on December 12th. At 6’2” 215 lbs. and rated the 8th best inside linebacker in the country, Ohio State was eager to get Williams on campus to show him and his family everything the program has to offer.

Freshman running back Jamaal Berry is third on the depth chart behind Brandon Saine and Daniel “Boom” Herron, but depending on his learning curve, Berry could see significant playing time this season.

By Eric Geier

Last year a friend of mine emailed me a link to a YouTube page that contained the highlight reel for incoming freshman running back Jamaal Berry. Somewhat annoyed that I had not seen this recruit first, I watched as Berry burst and plowed his way towards the end zone, always running north to south and always with his eyes on one thing, the end zone.

In high school, Berry showed tremendous breakaway speed and an ability to shed would-be tacklers. Despite a tendency to get tackled easily by the ankles, coaches are impressed with Berry as they continue working on improving his running style in an attempt to keep him from getting ankle tackled.

Berry is pretty much built to run the I-formation system. He rushed for 1,033 yards and 14 touchdowns on 140 carries at Miami-Palmetto high school his senior season. But, like virtually every piece of the Buckeye offense, Berry’s productivity can only be as good as his offensive line. However, an inconsistent Buckeye O-line may actually be the best thing for Berry in terms of playing time. Berry is much quicker and makes better cuts than Daniel “Boom” Herron, therefore, if the line can’t block, Tressel may insert Berry in place of Boom in order to elude rushing defenders, creating a Saine-Berry combination in the backfield.

Jamaal Berry- Incoming Statistics

Ht: 5-foot-11
Wt: 185 lbs
Forty: 4.43 secs
Bench reps: 16
Vertical: 37 inches
Shuttle: 4.38 secs

Jamaal Berry 2009 High School Highlights