It's a well-known fact that Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer has a passion for elite special teams play. Meyer often uses special teams for young players to earn their stripes and has long stressed the importance of the unit in terms of wins and losses.
Meyer and his staff further cemented their dedication to special teams play on Friday when they landed a commitment from New Albany (Ohio) punter Michael O'Shaughnessy, who announced his commitment to the Buckeyes via Twitter.
The O'Shaughnessy File
- Class: 2019
- Size: 6-foot-4, 200 pounds
- Pos: P
- School: New Albany (New Albany, Ohio)
At 6-foot-4, 200 pounds, the five-star O'Shaughnessy is considered the 18th-best punter in the class, according to chrissailerkicking.com — an outlet that consistently ranks the nation's top kickers and punters. The website also rankes O'Shaughnessy as the second-best punter in the midwest. The only other offer that O'Shaughnessy had was from Toledo, but he also had interest from several other schools including Notre Dame, Virginia, Cincinnati and Akron.
Before O'Shaughnessy's commitment, the Buckeyes hadn't signed a punter or a kicker in their 2019 cycle yet. In terms of scholarships, O'Shaughnessy is expected to grayshirt — meaning he won't be on scholarship until after his first semester, a practice that's often seen with specialists.
The Buckeyes offered O'Shaughnessy on Nov. 15, just a short time after the senior received his first offer from Toledo. He becomes the fourth in-state commit in the class, joining Lexington four-star linebacker Cade Stover and Mentor's duo of four-star offensive tackle Ryan Jacoby and four-star defensive end Noah Potter.
O'Shaughnessy attended Ohio State's specialist camp this past summer and made a visit to Ohio Stadium on Sept. 22 when the Buckeyes hosted Tulane. After the visit, he thanked coaches Urban Meyer, Taver Johnson, Ed Terwilliger and Parker Fleming.
"Had a tremendous experience at the Ohio State game yesterday," O'Shaughnessy wrote. "Thank you [coaches] for the hospitality and tour.
O'Shaughnessy becomes the 16th member of Ohio State’s Dynasty ‘19 recruiting class and the first in a special teams role.
