Drue Chrisman is returning to Cincinnati.
The former Ohio State punter, bottle flip extraordinaire and punt trick-shot artist, who went to Cincinnati's La Salle High School, is signing with the Bengals as an undrafted free agent, he told Eleven Warriors shortly after the draft.
Staying home. WHO DEY!! pic.twitter.com/EEA1dI6sie
— Drue Chrisman (@DChrisman91) May 1, 2021
While he didn't get drafted, he'll now have a chance to compete with Kevin Huber for the Bengals' punting job.
Chrisman joins six other Buckeyes on the Bengals' current roster: Sam Hubbard, Michael Jordan, Billy Price, Vonn Bell, Isaiah Prince and Eli Apple.
Chrisman came to Ohio State as the No. 1-ranked punter in the 2016 recruiting class out of Cincinnati La Salle High School, and he shined during his four years as the Buckeyes' starting punter. The 6-foot-3, 220-pounder was a two-time semifinalist for the Ray Guy award, given annually to the best punter in college football.
He ranks fourth in Ohio State history with an average of 44.0 yards per punt, and he was was named to the All Big-Ten team – once as a third-team member and once as an honorable mention recipient. He averaged between 43 and 45 yards per punt in every season and downed 83 of his 185 career punts inside the opponent’s 20-yard line.
That was highlighted by his notable game in 2018 when he was the star of Ohio State's 26-6 win over Michigan State at Spartan Stadium, where he punted nine times and consistently pinned the Spartans deep during a defensive slugfest.
Aside from the standout punting, bottle flips and trick shots, the moment Chrisman is perhaps most famous for came when he proposed to his girlfriend and now-wife during Ohio State's 2019 spring game.
