A new year will bring new beginnings for Mason Arnold.
The Buckeyes' starting long snapper to end the season, Arnold entered the transfer portal following Ohio State's loss in the Peach Bowl, a program spokesperson confirmed to Eleven Warriors on Sunday.
Arnold, a native of Tampa, Florida, was an unranked recruit out of Carrollwood Day High School but was rated as the No. 6 long snapper by Kornblue Kicking in the class of 2021. His Ohio State career started when he became an invited walk-on to the team before last season's fall camp.
After veteran Bradley Robinson suffered a season-ending knee injury in the team's Week 8 matchup with Iowa, Arnold was thrust into a starting role for Ohio State. He appeared in the final six games of the Buckeyes' 2022 season, including the team's 42-41 loss to Georgia in the College Football Playoff on New Year's Eve.
News of Arnold's entrance into the portal comes after Ryan Day and his staff added long snapper John Ferlmann as a scholarship transfer on Dec. 17. Ferlmann started for Arizona State as a redshirt freshman in 2022 after walking on and redshirting in his first year with the Sun Devils.
Ferlmann's addition to the specialists' room would have given Ohio State three long snappers on its 2023 roster, as the Phoenix, Arizona, native was set to accompany Arnold and fellow walk-on Max Lomonico at the position, with all three players as redshirt sophomores with three remaining years of eligibility.
Arnold's transfer leaves Ferlmann and Lomonico to compete for the starting role at long snapper next season, a competition that begins immediately as Ohio State looks ahead to next year following its loss to the Bulldogs in the CFP.
