Drue Chrisman signs with Cincinnati Bengals as UDFA

Drue Chrisman is officially headed to the professional level.

Though he was not selected in the 2021 NFL Draft, Chrisman quickly signed with the Cincinnati Bengals on Saturday, becoming the second-consecutive starting Ohio State punter to sign an NFL deal. Former Buckeye Cam Johnston is currently signed with the Houston Texans.

An eventual four-year starter at Ohio State, the (Cincinnati) La Salle graduate was ranked by Rivals as the No. 5 kicker in the class of 2016 and was widely considered the top punter in the country coming out of high school.

After taking a redshirt season as a true freshman, Chrisman was named Third Team All-Big Ten as a redshirt freshman and was a semifinalist for the Ray Guy Award in his first two seasons on the field, given to the country’s top collegiate punter.

Following two more All-Big Ten seasons with the Buckeyes as a junior and senior, Chrisman finished his career with 185 total punts and an average of 44 yards per punt, good for No. 4 in program history. 83 of those boots were downed inside the opponents’ 20-yard line.

A quarterback in high school, one of Chrisman's most memorable plays as a Buckeye came on his 21-yard pass completion against Wisconsin in the second quarter of the 2019 Big Ten Championship Game.

Known not just for his football-kicking skills, Chrisman has become a renowned bottle-flipper, raising more than $15,000 for wildfire relief in Australia by flipping water bottles for 24 consecutive hours in January 2020.

Chrisman officially measured in at 6-foot-3 and 209 lbs at Ohio State’s Pro Day in late March.