New Long Snapper Dalton Riggs Brings National Championship Expectations, Team-First Mindset to Ohio State

Ohio State recruited Riggs last offseason when he entered the transfer portal for the first time, so he had already thought about the possibility of becoming a Buckeye. He didn’t choose Ohio State last year because the Buckeyes had a returning starter at long snapper, John Ferlmann, and he wanted to go somewhere he could play.

But Riggs still felt a connection to Ohio State – so much so that he was sad when the Buckeyes lost to Miami in the College Football Playoff quarterfinal at the Cotton Bowl.

“I wasn't even a Buckeye when Ohio State lost, but it hurt me,” Riggs said. “Because they recruited me last year when I was in the portal switching over to UCF, and I've always kind of been drawn to Ohio State. But they definitely, when they lost, it kind of hurt a little bit.”

Just four days later, Riggs became a Buckeye himself.

Upon entering the transfer portal on Jan. 2, Riggs quickly heard from Ohio State, among a multitude of Big Ten and SEC programs. By the end of the day, Riggs was on a flight to Columbus. Two days later, Riggs announced his commitment to the Buckeyes, becoming Ohio State’s second transfer addition of 2026.

THE Ohio State University

Beyond grateful for Coach Day, Coach Keys and Coach Daniel for this opportunity. Go Buckeyes! pic.twitter.com/yIDyjXSvRI

— Dalton Riggs (@daltonriggs47) January 4, 2026

Riggs also considered Georgia and Arkansas, but he didn’t end up visiting anywhere but Ohio State. By the time he left Columbus, Riggs knew he wanted to be a Buckeye.

“I got a lot of interest throughout the entire visit from other teams, and lots of Big Ten and SEC schools were reaching out, but once I had got the offer from Ohio State, I didn't really want to go to any other visits unless I didn't feel good about it,” Riggs told Eleven Warriors. “But I felt great about Ohio State, especially after meeting with those coaches, kind of going over everything.”

A native of Eagle, Idaho, Riggs started his college career at BYU in 2022, spending three years at BYU after going on a two-year Mormon mission in Tonga. He entered the transfer portal for the first time last year, seeking the opportunity to play in a pro-style snapping scheme and bolster his résumé for the NFL. But after the Knights went 5-7 and failed to make a bowl game, Riggs found himself hungry for a chance to play in the College Football Playoff and compete for a national championship.

“I wasn't set on leaving UCF when I went into the portal. I knew that I'd have a good home back there if I needed to. I just kind of wanted to see – I had a good feeling, with all the teams leaving and a lot of good snappers that are finishing, that I’d hopefully get an opportunity to go play for a top national championship team,” Riggs said. “It definitely wasn't fun for me this past year, not playing in a bowl game or competing or anything. So as my last year, I wanted to have as many games as possible. And after watching the conference championships, watching the College Football Playoff, I realized, I was like, ‘That's something I really want for my last year.’

“So, yeah, I went into the portal and Ohio State, they reached out to me right in the morning. And I was like, ‘There we go.’ Georgia, Arkansas, everybody just started reaching out; I was like, ‘All right, I'm going to be in a good situation.’”

Dalton Riggs spent three years at BYU before transferring to UCF in 2025, where he spent one year before transferring to Ohio State. (Photo: Mark J. Rebilas – Imagn Images)

Several things stood out to Riggs during his Ohio State visit that made him want to be a Buckeye. For one, Riggs felt a strong connection with Ohio State’s coaches, specifically quality control coach Rob Keys and program assistant Gunner Daniel, who oversee the Buckeyes’ special teams.

“It was just kind of everything from the very beginning. Like when I first went on my official visit, I had Coach Gunner Daniel there and Coach Keys there, they picked me up at 11:50 at night, just really made me feel at home,” Riggs recalled. “They were with me the whole visit, making sure I was good with everything, going over all this stuff. Both those coaches are very prestigious, they've worked with a lot of great snappers in the past. I just felt good about everything. Their personalities, the way they deliver, the way they're able to be good people off the field and also be able to really dial me in on the field.”

Riggs’ dream of playing in the NFL was once again a factor in his decision, as he feels playing for Ohio State – where he will be in line to start now that Ferlmann is out of eligibility – will help him get more exposure as a draft prospect.

“Everything I've been looking for as far as why I got in the transfer portal and everything was for me to get to the NFL, and I knew that Ohio State has the most exposure of all the teams in the nation,” Riggs said. “After watching Ohio State in the national championship, the College Football Playoff the past two years, I've seen the exposure they get. I've also seen their snapper, John Ferlmann, gets a lot of attention.

“I also have talked to agents and NFL scouts and everything when they would come to practices and I just kind of talk to them a little bit and picked their brain, and I've just kind of realized playing in big time games as a snapper – playing in the rivalry game, against the team up north and everything, it really shows off how good snappers can be under pressure and how they can kind of move onto the NFL. I also think that the blocking scheme and everything that Coach Gunner Daniel and Coach Keys will help me out with will be great for me, to really showcase fast feet and being able to protect.”

More than anything else, though, Riggs wants to win a national championship, and he felt Ohio State gave him the best opportunity to do that.

“As a kid, you grow up and you think about ‘OK, what do you want to do in high school?’ You want to go win the state championship. That's a big deal. You think about the NFL, you're like, ‘OK, I want to win a Super Bowl.’ That's the top of the top. You think about college football, it's like, if you can win a national championship, that's all you want in life,” Riggs said. “For the rest of your life, you can say you're a national championship person, like you were able to be on a team that won the national championship, played for a team like that, played for a coach like that. I mean, that's a dream come true. Next year when we can win that national championship, that'll be one of my biggest goals that I have in life.”

While special teams have been a point of consternation for Ohio State fans in recent years, Riggs embraces the expectation of perfection that comes with being a Buckeye. In fact, witnessing the disappointment of Ohio State fans about the way the past season ended was another factor that drew him to OSU.

“On my official visit, I was walking around the town, and you could see people walking around and you could feel the energy of they wish they were still playing. The entire town, the whole city, everything, you could feel it,” Riggs said. “And so I know this coming year, there's going to be a lot of intensity, a lot of drive, a lot of ‘We're not going to let that slip away again.’ Which I'm really excited to be a part of and be a part of this team to elevate it all so that we can actually win the national championship.”

“You think about college football, it's like, if you can win a national championship, that's all you want in life.”– Ohio State long snapper Dalton Riggs

Riggs was pretty much perfect at UCF last season; according to his UCF bio, Riggs was one of three long snappers in the Big 12 last season with zero inaccurate snaps on field goals or extra points. That’s something he takes pride in, and he’s excited to be part of a program where everyone is held to that standard.

“It's something I've always wanted,” Riggs said. “I don't like losing. There's nothing good about that. Sure, you learn from it, but I've never enjoyed it. Especially at my position where you could be absolutely flawless in your role, but it comes down to the team. I'm excited to have a team that the expectation is to win it all. I'm excited for the offseason workouts and you're doing all the workouts where you've got to be focused and mentally locked in, being very disciplined day in and day out. I'm excited to have a championship-caliber team in all aspects of the offseason and in-season. 

“And then also for an environment where there's a lot of pressure. I've always believed that I thrive under pressure. I was a tennis state champion back in high school, and every time I, whether it was playing tennis or playing football or snapping or doing all that, I want to showcase how great I am. So I'm excited for that opportunity.”

Playing a position where it’s rare to receive recognition, Riggs says his goals outside of winning a national championship are for Ohio State’s kicker and punter to win the Lou Groza Award and Ray Guy Award.

“It's all about the guys that you work with. It's not about you,” Riggs said. “You're never going to get any sort of praise for a good snap from the media or anything. You're never going to get praise from anything that you do. However, when you see your kicker succeeding and you see your punter succeeding, to me, that gets me fired up.”

Riggs traces his selfless approach back to his mission trip, which showed him the joy that comes from helping others.

“In that time, my church mission, all it was was helping other people. You didn't think about yourself, you didn't do any of that, it was all about how can you help other people. And I found a lot of happiness through just helping other people, serving them,” Riggs said. “Whether it was chopping down trees or helping move cement or push cement, whatever you were doing, I had a lot more fun when I was helping others and seeing how much easier their life was when you helped them. And that's the same thing when it comes to being a long snapper.”

Because of that, Riggs is excited to be part of a program that places a big emphasis on brotherhood.

“I remember walking right into the football facilities and one of the first walls says Brotherhood. And I just think that's awesome,” Riggs said. “I think that if that's what it's all about, then we're in the right place. I'm transferring to a great place.”