The Buckeyes brought in Parker Fleming to take over as their special teams coordinator going into last season.

Ohio State essentially saw a global overhaul of its special teams room going into the 2021 season. Fleming elevated into his position after working as a quality control coach, and the Buckeyes turned to the outside for players who could boot the football.

Fleming’s addition also coincided with North Carolina kicker Noah Ruggles transferring to Ohio State and Australian punter Jesse Mirco joining for his first season. Both Ruggles and Mirco performed well for the Buckeyes in their debuts, and each return looking for more in 2022.

Ohio State will need to find a new punt returner now that Garrett Wilson has moved onto the NFL. Junior wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba served as the backup punt returner to Wilson last season, so he could move up the depth chart in that regard when the Buckeyes take over on downs.

Sophomore wideout Emeka Egbuka shows impressive signs of promise as a kick returner during his freshman campaign, earning honorable mention recognition from the Big Ten during the postseason.

Next up in the Position Previews series in advance of the Buckeyes’ 2022 season is the special teams room, featuring a seventh-year long snapper and plenty of experience.

Here are the players listed in Ohio State’s special teams room:

Sophomore long snapper Mason Arnold

Freshman kicker Jayden Fielding

Junior kicker Parker Lewis

Sophomore long snapper Max Lomonico

Sophomore punter Jesse Mirco

Senior punter Michael O’Shaughnessy

Graduate long snapper Bradley Robinson

Graduate kicker Noah Ruggles

Sophomore kicker Jake Seibert

The Buckeyes will lean on age and experience for much of their kicking duties on special teams in 2022. Even though Mirco will play just his second season, he signed his National Letter of Intent at age 23, so he’s older than most of his teammates.

Dominic DiMaccio departed the program after last season, and the Buckeyes brought in Fielding in January, so they maintain three kickers on their roster.

Robinson will stick around for his seventh year of college and fifth at Ohio State. He spent the 2016 season with Michigan State, where he was an in-state player.

Mirco punted all 31 times and Ruggles kicked all 21 field goal attempts for Ohio State last season. Both will return and likely see Robinson — a 2021 Patrick Mannelly Award finalist — often as their long snapper in 2022.

Ohio State saw more than 71% of kicks returned by Egbuka for nearly 600 yards, and wide receivers Julian Fleming and Xavier Johnson each had three returns.

Lewis joins the Ohio State program as a transfer from USC, having three seasons of eligibility remaining. He went 17-for-22 on field goal attempts last season and figures to handle kickoff duties in relief of Ruggles.

Ruggles didn’t participate in spring practice

Throughout the duration of spring practices in March and April, a notable absence from the sidelines was Ruggles.

Ruggles planned to take the semester off and spent time away, according to Fleming. He returned to the program in May and will play during the 2022 season.

Despite his absence, Ruggles will reassume his normal duties as the Buckeyes’ kicker, although he’ll likely see his workload decrease with the addition of Lewis, who had 27 touchbacks on 34 kickoffs last season.

Ohio State went 96-for-97 on kicking opportunities

Really, Ruggles went 96-for-97, which is a 98.9% success rate.

That average was higher than each of the prior three seasons to 2021. Ohio State made all 43 of its extra-point attempts but went 7-for-11 on field goal tries in 2020.

The Buckeyes had kicking percentages of 92.6%, 97.1% and 94.7% in their campaigns dating back to 2019, respectively. Their 2022 percentage tops them all.

Ohio State also topped the Big Ten net totals with an average of 48.5 yards in addition to its 95.2% when it came to field goal tries. The Buckeyes aim for consistency when it comes to special teams, and they enjoyed increased success in that regard last season.

Mirco has Australian roots

While in Australia, Mirco trained at ProKick Australia, which is the same program in which former Buckeye punter Cameron Johnston practiced.

According to his profile on the Ohio State athletics website, Mirco learned the art of American punting “in just four months” from ProKick coaches Nathan Chapman and John Smith.

Punting is different overseas than it is in the United States where American football intertwines with other sports, such as rugby and soccer. Mirco played Australian-rules football and hails from Fremantle, Australia, making his Buckeye debut just last season.

Mirco averaged 42.3 yards across his 31 punts last season, placing 17 inside the 20-yard line. Despite being older and experiencing the challenge of moving overseas, Mirco largely enjoyed success during his first season at Ohio State.

Where do the Buckeyes go at long snapper from here?

For the last two seasons, Robinson has been the go-to when Ohio State has called upon a long snapper.

He’ll do so again in 2022, but Robinson won’t have much eligibility left to tap into at the end of the season, leaving the Buckeyes with some work to do planning for the future.

Ohio State has Arnold and Lomonico already on its roster and taking notes from Robinson. Both are walk-ons who joined prior to last season, so they’re seasoned only one year.

The Buckeyes had kept tabs on Arnold, inviting him to the program in January 2020 before he joined in August 2021. He was an undefeated state champion as a wrestler in high school, which is where he drew from some of his intangible skills as a long snapper.

Lomonico has local roots, attending Pickerington Central High School near Columbus. He was an honorable mention in his league as a senior.

Ohio State could also turn to the transfer portal for a long snapper beyond 2022, much like it did with Ruggles and previous kickers. There’s still plenty of time before the Buckeyes must figure out their future plans, but Robinson will have some of the most experience not just on Ohio State’s roster, but in all of college football come this fall.

Who returns punts full-time?

Ohio State looks for playmakers on the recruiting trail to suit up and make plays as a Buckeye, whether it’s on offense or defense.

But the Buckeyes also want a dynamic threat when opposing teams turn the ball over on downs, sending Wilson out to return punts given how valuable he was as an athlete.

But perhaps Ohio State may want to protect its top wide receiver in Smith-Njigba from potential injury instead of having him return punts like Wilson.

It remains to be seen if the Buckeyes continue with Smith-Njigba as a punt returner. He had eight attempts and averaged 7.5 yards per return, which was higher than Wilson’s 5.2 clip. Wide receiver Chris Olave also had one punt return for four yards.

Former Buckeye Demario McCall also returned punts and played several positions at Ohio State, including cornerback and running back, so the program could even use a defensive player to return punts.

But the decision lies with Fleming, head coach Ryan Day and Ohio State. Smith-Njigba could likely continue returning punts, something he’s done before with skill, so the answer could already be on the table.

Egbuka returns Ohio State’s first kickoff for a touchdown since 2011

He almost did it in 2021, and he very well could in 2022.

Joining the program as a five-star and the No. 11 overall recruit, it was as a kick returner where Egbuka made the biggest impact in his first season.

Egbuka logged 166 return yards against Maryland Week 6, including a 67-yard return in the second quarter. He averaged 27.25 yards per return in the weeks leading up against the Terrapins, then recorded nearly 41.5 yards per chance in his four tries against Maryland.

It was during the Rose Bowl when Egbuka proved his returning prowess is no fluke. He took advantage of increased opportunities due to the high scoring nature of the game and returned 163 yards on seven attempts.

Jordan Hall returned Ohio State’s last kickoff for a touchdown Nov. 26, 2010, when he broke off an 85-yard score against Michigan.

It’s worth noting he saw his two most attempts of the season in both games against Maryland and No. 11 Utah, but Egbuka still averaged 29 yards per return. The Buckeyes host the Wolverines for the first time in four seasons Nov. 26, so the stars could align for Egbuka to repeat history.