Ohio State has added a punter to its 2024 recruiting class.
Nick McLarty, a 6-foot-7, 255-pound punter from Melbourne, Australia, announced his commitment to Ohio State on Friday after attending the Buckeyes’ first two spring practices this week.
Officially Committed pic.twitter.com/KJF31wGcOu
— Nick McLarty (@nick_mclarty) March 8, 2024
McLarty becomes the only scholarship punter on the Buckeyes’ 2024 roster and a candidate to compete for the Buckeyes’ starting punting job with fellow Australian punter Joe McGuire, a walk-on. They’ll be competing to replace another punter from Australia, Jesse Mirco, who transferred to Vanderbilt this offseason.
The McLarty File
- Class: 2024
- Size: 6-7/255
- Pos: P
- School: Caulfield Grammar (Melbourne, Australia)
McLarty will enroll at Ohio State this summer.
He continues a lineage of Australian punters at Ohio State that started with Cameron Johnston, the Buckeyes’ punter from 2013-16.
McLarty becomes the 23rd member of Ohio State’s 2024 recruiting class, bringing the Buckeyes’ scholarship total to 86 players, one above the 85-man limit.
| Pos | Name | Rating | Rank | Size | School |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WR | JEREMIAH SMITH | ★★★★★ | #1 NATL | #1 WR | 6-3 | 215 | Chaminade-Madonna Prep (Opa Locka, Florida) |
| QB | JULIAN SAYIN | ★★★★★ | #6 NATL | #1 QB | 6-1 | 203 | Carlsbad (Carlsbad, California) |
| DL | EDDRICK HOUSTON | ★★★★★ | #26 NATL | #7 DL | 6-3 | 270 | Buford (Buford, Georgia) |
| WR | MYLAN GRAHAM | ★★★★★ | #33 NATL | #7 WR | 6-1 | 170 | New Haven (New Haven, Indiana) |
| CB | AARON SCOTT JR. | ★★★★★ | #36 NATL | #6 CB | 6-0 | 185 | Springfield (Springfield, Ohio) |
| QB | AIR NOLAND | ★★★★ | #56 NATL | #4 QB | 6-2 | 192 | Langston Hughes (Fairburn, Georgia) |
| CB | BRYCE WEST | ★★★★ | #64 NATL | #9 CB | 5-11 | 196 | Glenville (Cleveland, Ohio) |
| RB | JAMES PEOPLES | ★★★★ | #114 NATL | #8 RB | 5-10 | 203 | Veterans Memorial (San Antonio, Texas) |
| LB | GARRETT STOVER | ★★★★ | #140 NATL | #10 LB | 6-1 | 220 | Big Walnut (Sunbury, OH) |
| DE | DOMINIC KIRKS | ★★★★ | #162 NATL | #24 DL | 6-4 | 255 | Riverside (Painesville, Ohio) |
| OT | IAN MOORE | ★★★★ | #165 NATL | #5 IOL | 6-6 | 309 | New Palestine (New Palestine, Indiana) |
| LB | PAYTON PIERCE | ★★★★ | #203 NATL | #15 LB | 6-2 | 223 | Lovejoy (Lucas, Texas) |
| TE | MAX LEBLANC | ★★★★ | #256 NATL | #14 TE | 6-4 | 222 | Baylor School (Chattanooga, Tennessee) |
| OL | GABE VANSICKLE | ★★★★ | #281 NATL | #18 IOL | 6-5 | 283 | Coopersville (Coopersville, MI) |
| S | JAYLEN McCLAIN | ★★★★ | #368 NATL | #35 S | 6-0 | 192 | Seton Hall Prep (West Orange, New Jersey) |
| CB | MILES LOCKHART | ★★★★ | #397 NATL | #33 CB | 5-9 | 193 | Basha (Chandler, AZ) |
| OT | DEONTAE ARMSTRONG | ★★★★ | #405 NATL | #34 OT | 6-6 | 298 | St. Edward (Lakewood, OH) |
| OL | DEVONTAE ARMSTRONG | ★★★★ | #440 NATL | #29 IOL | 6-5 | 303 | St. Edward (Lakewood, OH) |
| TE | DAMARION WITTEN | ★★★★ | #460 NATL | #28 TE | 6-4 | 215 | Glenville (Cleveland, OH) |
| RB | SAM WILLIAMS-DIXON | ★★★ | #658 NATL | #48 ATH | 5-11 | 203 | Pickerington North (Columbus, OH) |
| DT | ERIC MENSAH | ★★★ | #788 NATL | #90 DL | 6-3 | 290 | Mountain View (Stafford, VA) |
| S | LEROY ROKER | ★★★ | #824 NATL | #88 S | 6-1 | 170 | Bishop Verot (Fort Myers, FL) |
| P | NICK MCLARTY | N/A | N/A | 6-7 | 255 | Caulfield Grammar (Melbourne, Australia) |
| Prospect Rating Data: 247Sports | |||||
McLarty, who trains with former NFL punter Darren Bennett, was offered a scholarship by Ryan Day after completing a three-day visit to Columbus on which he attended both of the Buckeyes’ first two spring practices. McLarty had previously received offers from Utah and Louisiana and had planned to visit other schools, but chose to commit to Ohio State after receiving his offer from Ohio State.
A former Australian rules football player, McLarty has never played American football but has a demonstrated ability to punt the ball far, as seen in a video of a 90-yard punt he posted to his X account last fall.
90+yards over stadium!?@nflaussie pic.twitter.com/FmHefMhDub
— Nick McLarty (@nick_mclarty) November 6, 2023
