Ohio State headed back down under for a specialist.
Punter Jesse Mirco, an Australian native, committed to play for the Buckeyes on Wednesday morning. He becomes their 18th commitment in the nation's top-ranked 2021 recruiting class.
He's following in the footsteps of Cameron Johnston, a former Ohio State punter from Australia who now is with the Philadelphia Eagles. Mirco is currently with Prokick Australia, a company helping Australians transition to college football and the NFL that also produced Johnston.
Mirco, who has never been to Ohio State before and is slated to take an official visit in October, is a 23-year-old Australia rules football player who began learning how to punt for American football when he joined Prokick Australia four months ago, per Land Grant Holy Land's Tia Johnston.
Absolutely honoured to announce I have committed and accepted a full scholarship to study and play football for THE Ohio State University in 2021. @OhioStateFB #GoBucks pic.twitter.com/qZP7EzJgXq
— Jesse Mirco (@Jesse_Mirco) May 6, 2020
As a scholarship punter, Mirco will have a chance to replace current punter Drue Chrisman as a freshman. Chrisman's a redshirt senior entering his final year of eligibility as a Buckeye.
Since Ohio State landed La Salle kicker Jake Seibert in the 2020 cycle, Mirco will likely be Ohio State's only specialist addition in its 2021 class.
| NAME | POSITION | OVERALL RANKING | POSITION RANKING | DATE OF COMMITMENT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| JACK SAWYER | DE | No. 3 | No. 3 | FEBRUARY 3, 2019 |
| KYLE MCCORD | QB | No. 25 | No. 3 (PRO-STYLE) | APRIL 30, 2019 |
| JAYDEN BALLARD | WR | No. 68 | No. 12 | JUNE 21, 2019 |
| BEN CHRISTMAN | OT | No. 109 | No. 15 | JUNE 26, 2019 |
| REID CARRICO | LB | No. 73 | No. 2 (ILB) | SEPTEMBER 10, 2019 |
| MARVIN HARRISON JR. | WR | No. 58 | No. 8 | OCTOBER 31, 2019 |
| SAM HART | TE | No. 390 | No. 17 | DECEMBER. 30, 2019 |
| JAYLEN JOHNSON | S | No. 343 | No. 19 | JANUARY 7, 2020 |
| DONOVAN JACKSON | OG | No. 33 | No. 1 | JANUARY 8, 2020 |
| MIKE HALL | DT | No. 74 | No. 6 | FEBRUARY 1, 2020 |
| JAKAILIN JOHNSON | CB | No. 52 | No. 4 | MARCH 15, 2020 |
| DEVONTA SMITH | CB | No. 419 | No. 28 | MARCH 16, 2020 |
| EVAN PRYOR | RB | No. 83 | No. 5 | MARCH 16, 2020 |
| ANDRE TURRENTINE | S | No. 134 | No. 5 | MARCH 17, 2020 |
| TREVEYON HENDERSON | RB | No. 18 | No. 1 | MARCH 27, 2020 |
| TUNMISE ADELEYE | SDE | No. 41 | No. 4 | APRIL 15, 2020 |
| JANTZEN DUNN | ATH | No. 207 | No. 12 | APRIL 20, 2020 |
| JESSE MIRCO | P | N/A | N/A | MAY 6, 2020 |
