OK, let’s get this out of the way now. He’s not the guy from "Fight Club."
That much is unfortunate because Brad Pitt plays Edward Norton's alter ego beautifully in that movie. No, even though Ohio State's new starting kicker's name is nearly identical to one of the stars from the 1999 film nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards, the most anyone that follows Buckeye football knew about Tyler Durbin was the 62-yard field goal he nailed during training camp last Tuesday. It helped him lose his black stripe.
Black Stripe is removed after a 62-yard field goal today! Congrats Tyler! pic.twitter.com/5yBF751k3K
— Urban Meyer (@OSUCoachMeyer) August 23, 2016
Durbin expected to serve as Sean Nuernberger's backup during the 2016 football season after walking on the team in spring of 2015. A groin injury to Nuernberger thrust Durbin into the spotlight Monday, however, and became a talking point during his head coach's weekly press conference.
"Durbin, I believe that's his name. Tyler Durbin. Tremendous talent," Meyer said, before turning to sports information director Jerry Emig to clarify. "That's his name, right? Tyler Durbin."
Emig gave Meyer a head nod to confirm that yes, the walk-on who once played soccer at James Madison University for two seasons will handle placekicking and kickoff duties for the Buckeyes at least in their season opener against Bowling Green. Ohio State should not have an issue with beating the Falcons but the spotlight could shine brighter on the 6-foot-3, 210-pound Durbin if his name remains atop the depth chart when Week 3 rolls around and the Buckeyes travel to Oklahoma.
Here are some other tidbits on Ohio State's new kicker, courtesy of his Ohio State bio page and time at James Madison:
- The 2016 season represents Durbin's second year of playing competitive football.
- He played both forward and midfielder for the Dukes, recording his first — and only — career goal in a 3-0 victory against Binghamton in 2013.
- Durbin earned a bevy of soccer accolades while at Lake Braddock Secondary School in Fairfax, Virginia, including metro, all-district and all-region honors.
- An honors high school graduate with a GPA above 4.0, Durbin served as a team captain and three-year starter at Lake Braddock. He also was a member of the National Honor Society.
- The lone action on his recently created personal Twitter account at the time of this writing is a retweet of the news Monday that he will be Ohio State's starting kicker.
- Durbin is also a recently married man, tying the knot July 23. His wife, Kristin, is a kindergarten teacher, according to his Ohio State bio.
We haven't seen the video of Durbin nailing his 62-yard field goal in practice but the strike allowed him to officially become a Buckeye in the eyes of the coaching staff.
Meyer assuredly learned more about his new kicker Monday out of necessity, but the head coach will be up to speed much quicker if Durbin ices an Ohio State victory at any point this season with another long boot.
