Why Jesse Mirco transferred from Ohio State to Vanderbilt: 'Looking for a new opportunity'
Punter Jesse Mirco said he was looking for a fresh start when he transferred from Ohio State to Vanderbilt after the 2023 football season.
In an interview with the "Any Given Sunday Australia" podcast, Mirco, an Australia native, detailed his reasoning for leaving Columbus, a decision, he said, that revolved around him having the best opportunity to play at the next level.
"I was just looking for a new opportunity, somewhere I can kick some more spiral, traditional stuff, which at my old school, we were a lot of rollout," Mirco said. "Which again going forward, I have goals to play in the NFL and see how that goes, give it a chance."
Mirco was a three-year starter at Ohio State where he recorded 130 punts on an average of 43.9 yards per kick. He recorded eight punts in the Buckeyes' Cotton Bowl loss to Missouri, but exceeded four punts in a game only one other time in 2023: Ohio State's Oct. 21 win against Penn State.
While Mirco is a past Ray Guy Award semifinalist, an accolade given to the top punter in college football, Mirco said Ohio State capped his potential to show what he could do.
"It's tough to get recognized, I guess, as a punter a lot of the time, especially at somewhere like Ohio State where we didn't punt a whole lot over the past few years," Mirco said. "And when you do a lot of pooch punting and stuff like that, it's obviously never going to be a spot where you stuff the numbers and kick the ball as far as you can because obviously it's not the objective most of the time."
Mirco called Ohio State "awesome" and a "massive program" that is "unlike anything I have experienced before. He called entering Ohio Stadium for the first time "a crazy, mind-blowing experience."
Mirco also detailed his relationship with former Ohio State punter Cameron Johnston, who Mirco trained with in the offseason.
Ohio State has two punters on its spring football roster: Australian sophomore Joe McGuire and senior Hadi Jawad: a recent transfer from Wayne State. The Buckeyes are also set to add Australian Nick McLarty this summer as a part of their 2024 recruiting class.
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Why punter Jesse Mirco transferred from Ohio State to Vanderbilt
