Spring practice optimism is cheap. Every April, there’s usually a new “consistent” kicker or a player who “strikes the ball well.” But there’s something different about Ohio State’s new kicker this year. Connor Hawkins’ 81.8% field goal rate isn’t even the main talk. Ryan Day’s choice of words while describing him caught the attention of fans.

“Connor is somebody who’s been clutch,” Ryan Day said during his press conference. “We’ve seen that before when he was at Baylor. So he has experience making game-winning kicks and big kicks. We know that’s gonna come up this season.”

“Clutch.” That’s a description coaches don’t hand out easily. But this expectation means Connor Hawkins shouldn’t provide room for error in 2026. All eyes will be on him when things get tight, and pressure runs high with the season hanging in the air for three seconds. But the kicker has already lived in that moment, even if it was in the Big 12. 

While his 81.8 percent success rate was impressive, his reputation was built in the fire. Against a ranked SMU squad, Hawkins didn’t flinch, drilling a walk-off 27-yard field goal in double overtime to secure a dramatic 48-45 upset win. 

He faced an even more hostile environment against Kansas State. Trailing in the fourth quarter with just 31 seconds remaining, Hawkins casually stepped up and nailed a career-tying 53-yarder to seal a 35-34 comeback victory. That exact scenario is why the OSU fans are exhaling. They still carry the trauma of the 2022 Peach Bowl, where a missed 50-yarder against Georgia shattered their title hopes.

Hearing Ryan Day confidently label the new guy ‘clutch’ is the ultimate therapy for the fans. In a program chasing championships, it’s the only one that matters, and the head coach isn’t the only one high on praise. 

Ryan Day sets a new standard on special teams

Ryan Day made sure to give importance to special teams by appointing a full-time special teams coordinator in Robby Discher. The former Illinois coach has seen what elite special teams look like, having helped build a top-10 unit with the Fighting Illini. And when he talks about Connor Hawkins, he doesn’t start with leg strength, either, but temperament.

“The moment’s never too big for Connor,” he said. “You can tell he’s got a good demeanor about it and he’s even-keeled, and he’s done a good job.”

That “even-keeled” description comes up a lot with kickers who survive big moments. Discher saw it before with his former kicker at Illinois, David Olano. The duo has the same profile, the same mental wiring, and he believes the same results will follow. 

“They’re never too high, they’re never too low,” he said of the similarity between the two kickers. “You miss a kick, you’ve already forgot about it by the time you got a next opportunity… They’re both super competitive, which is a big thing as well.”

For Ohio State, this overhaul matters because the Buckeyes rarely lose games by 20 points. It’s by margins that involve one possession or one kick. The 2026 schedule already has a few games where that scenario could be waiting. That’s why Ryan Day used the word “clutch” because if Connor Hawkins really lives up to that description, they might have just erased a weakness.