Ohio State has added a transfer to its punting competition.
Anthony Venneri, who was the starting punter at Buffalo for the past two years, committed to Ohio State on Saturday as a preferred walk-on.
Committed. The hard work begins now. So proud#gobuckeyes pic.twitter.com/IOwIxrJgD8
— tony venneri (@TVenneri) May 11, 2024
Venneri averaged 43.96 yards per punt for the Bulls in 2023, finishing 30th in the FBS in punting average – one spot ahead of former Ohio State punter Jesse Mirco, who transferred to Vanderbilt in January after averaging 43.69 yards per punt in 2023. Venneri broke his own single-season school record for punting average of 43 yards per punt in 2022, when he earned Freshman All-American honors from the FWAA.
A 6-foot, 225-pound punter from Hamilton, Ontario, Venneri brings two years of eligibility to Ohio State.
He’ll enter what now becomes a three-way competition for the starting punting job at Ohio State this season. A pair of punters from Australia, redshirt freshman Joe McGuire and incoming freshman Nick McLarty – the only scholarship punter on the roster – will also compete for the job in preseason camp. Venneri will have the advantage of experience in that competition as neither McLarty nor McGuire has punted in a collegiate game.
