Ball State transfer kicker Jackson Courville commits to Ohio State

COLUMBUS — Ohio State is adding to its special teams operation: former Ball State kicker Jackson Courville has committed to the Buckeyes.

Courville announced his pledge to the program on Saturday, a week after visiting Ohio State in late April.

Courville was 26 of 34 on field goals during two seasons at Ball State with a career long of 52 yards. He also made a 55-yard field goal during his time as a high school kicker at Centerville High School in Ohio. During the 2024 season at Ball State, he was 84.6 percent on field goal attempts. He is 54 of 56 on extra points during his career.

The Centerville, Ohio, product was a part of the 2023 recruiting class, meaning he will have multiple years of eligibility remaining at Ohio State.

After the national championship win, Buckeyes backup kicker Austin Snyder entered the transfer portal, leaving starter Jayden Fielding as the only kicker on the entire Buckeyes roster. Ohio State entered the offseason — and especially the spring transfer portal window — aiming to add a second kicker to the roster.

Fielding is 122 of 123 on extra points for his career. He has made 29 of 37 career field goals in two years of action with a career long of 47 yards. He is 12 of 18 on field goals of 40 yards or longer during his career.

But the Buckeyes wanted a second kicker to beef up the roster — and potentially have a starting kicker in the future after Fielding leaves the program following this season.

Jackson Courville is the man for that job for the Buckeyes. He committed to Ohio State, and the program now has its second kicker.

Ohio State also adds second long snapper

Ohio State added another former North Carolina player to its football roster Thursday. The Buckeyes landed former Tar Heels long-snapper Grant Mills, just a week after gaining a pledge from former Tar Heels defensive end Beau Atkinson.

Mills will serve as the second long snapper on the roster. He joins senior leader John Ferlmann, who has been with the program for years and has one year of eligibility remaining.

Mills, a Mooresville, North Carolina, native, has four years of eligibility remaining after redshirting last year for North Carolina. He did appear in two games last year and started in one game.