Nick McLarty will handle punting duties in Ohio State's season opener.
On Thursday, Ohio State head coach Ryan Day named the 6-foot-7, 255-pound freshman from Melbourne, Australia, as the Buckeyes' starter for the Akron game. As Ohio State enters the 2024 season, McLarty will look to beat out Joe McGuire, Hadi Jawad and Buffalo transfer Anthony Venneri for good in the competition.
"Right now, Nick will be the starter," Day said in a brief press conference. "That competition could go into next week, but as we head into the weekend, he is the starter, and the plan is for him to be the first punter to go out in the game against Akron.