Transfer long snapper John Ferlmann, who arrived at Ohio State this offseason from Arizona State, has big shoes to fill considering the lineage of long snappers that have been in Columbus.
Bradley Robinson snapped for the last three seasons before exhausting his eligibility, and before him, Liam McCullough held the position down. In just a few months since Ferlmann arrived on campus, special teams coordinator Parker Fleming said Ferlmann has already secured the starting job.
“He’s done a great job coming in and working really hard,” Fleming said Tuesday. “That’s the No. 1 job you’ve got to do is work, and he has. Put his head down and he went to work. He’s got some game experience under his belt playing last year at a different school, but he did a really nice job there and we’re looking forward to getting started.”
Ferlmann was a priority target for Fleming, who Ferlmann said reached out the first day that he entered the transfer portal. Once Ferlmann got on the phone with Fleming to discuss considering Ohio State as an option, he said the messaging from the program was clear.
“The pitch for him was to come here, be great,” Ferlmann said. “You accomplished some things at Arizona State. Build on that, come out here, play for the Buckeyes and get better and see what happens.”
Ferlmann took a redshirt his freshman season with the Sun Devils but started at long snapper all of last season, and is a former five-star prospect – according to Rubio Long Snapping – from Phoenix, so he’s a long way from home in Columbus. But since he’s arrived, he’s enjoyed the city as well as the increased expectations that have come with playing at Ohio State.
“(The biggest difference was) the weather, man. I came in here, it’s freezing cold, I had to get used to it, buy some pants, buy some sweaters,” he said. “But definitely just the seriousness, the reverence towards the game here. There’s a punishment if you’re late. Everyone’s on you, you’ve got to do the right stuff. I really love the fact here that everyone’s being held accountable. They do it differently here.”
