Local punter is one to watch

It is still unclear if Ohio State will take a kicking specialist in the 2019 class but local punter Michael O'Shaughnessy is getting a look from the Buckeyes. The 6-foot-4, 205-pound prospect of nearby New Albany (Ohio) is receiving serious interest from more than a dozen FBS programs.

"Over the past couple of months I've heard from a lot of schools," O'Shaughnessy said. "Just some of them; Vanderbilt, Wisconsin, Purdue, Notre Dame, Maryland, Nebraska, Kentucky, Eastern Kentucky, and pretty much all of the Ivy League schools."

Ohio State will get a close up look at O'Shaughnessy this summer during its specialists camp. The local product camped with the Buckeyes last summer as well but will do so with a fresh set of eyes as former special teams coach Kerry Coombs is now in the NFL.

"I'm going to go to about five or six different camps this summer," he explained. "Ones I know for sure are Vanderbilt, Purdue, Ohio State, and we're looking at Notre Dame, Maryland, and Wisconsin."

O'Shaughnessy has only started to focus on punting in the last two years. He averaged 42-yards per punt as a junior at New Albany. His size and frame have many believing there is still some untapped power there.

"I started out playing wide receiver and defensive back when I first started playing football in eighth grade," he explained. "I used to play soccer when I was a little kid and whenever me and my friends would go out and kick field goals, I would just drill them in. So the next year for football, I was the place kicker for the freshman team. Through that, they asked me to start punting and I started to have some success with that during my sophomore year and I started to focus more on punting."

He's hoping to earn an offer from the Buckeyes with a strong camp showing.

"My dad was talking to one of the coaches there and they said that they always offer their kickers either at camp or right after camp," he explained. "It would be amazing (to get an offer). Just growing up here, I've been around Ohio State fans my entire life. I've gone to Ohio State games and my family loves Ohio State and I'm sure they would love to see me there. I love the campus. It's just a familiar school and it's close to home."