It isn't the NFL, but a former Ohio State starter has landed a new opportunity as a pro football player.
The Ohio State Buckeyes just had 11 players selected in the recent 2026 NFL Draft. It made 25 players selected over the last two drafts, and it doesn't count the players who have earned undrafted free agent contracts.
There's a pretty simple recipe in Columbus that's worked out for most cases. If you're a starter for more than one season at Ohio State, you're going to have a legit shot in the NFL. A few instances have popped up where that's not the case, and a former Buckeye just made an example.
Jayden Fielding was Ohio State's starting kicker for the last three seasons, but now he's set to head to Canada. The CFL's Ottawa Redblacks announced on Tuesday that they had signed Fielding, and he'll have a chance to be a starting kicker in the Canadian Football League.
Fielding's college career brought some ups and downs. None was bigger than the 33-yard field goal Fielding made to lock down Ohio State's national championship win over Notre Dame in January of 2025. Overall, Fielding made 45-of-57 field goals in Columbus and finished his college career fifth in scoring with 313 career points.
The 2025 season was solid for Fielding until it didn't end very well. Ohio State's last kicker went 16-of-20 on field goals, but missed his two biggest kicks of the season. Fielding missed a 27-yard field goal in the 13-10 Big Ten Championship loss to Indiana, then missed his last kick in college against Miami in the College Football Playoff.
Fielding is a 6-foot-2 Texas native that finished his high school career up at IMG Academy in Florida.
The former Buckeye was an OSU Scholar-Athlete and a two-time Academic All-Big Ten Conference selection.
Fielding's career-long is a 49-yard boot against Purdue in 2025
Fielding is a solid kicker from inside 45 yards and made all but one of his 179 extra point kicks. Distance is an issue for the former Buckeye, he never made a kick of 50 or more yards with Ohio State.
Getting an opportunity to play at the next level, even in the CFL, is a nice accomplishment for Fielding. Now, it's up to him to win the job with the Redblacks.
