Ohio State, USC Transfer Kicker Parker Lewis Awaiting Eligibility Ruling

Lewis does not appear on the Buckeyes’ updated roster despite announcing his transfer in April.

For the second straight year, Ohio State is awaiting word from the NCAA regarding the eligibility of a transfer from USC.

But unlike last season, when linebacker Palaie Gaoteote was not cleared until the second game of the year, head coach Ryan Day is hopeful kicker Parker Lewis will be deemed eligible in time for fall camp, which opens next week.

“We’re hoping in the next week, but we don’t know for sure,” Day said during his interview session at Big Ten Media Days on Wednesday. “Once he can get cleared eligibility-wise, we can take the next step with him.”

The question was prompted by Lewis’ absence on the Buckeyes’ official roster, which was updated last week to include the midsummer enrollees and other newcomers, as he announced his decision to transfer to Ohio State back in April.

Lewis is expected to compete with sixth-year senior Noah Ruggles for the starting job, even though Ruggles was a finalist for the Lou Groza Award last fall. It’s more likely that he’ll handle kickoff duties and longer field goals, though, as that’s an area where Ruggles has struggled.

That said, even if Lewis is ruled eligible, Day acknowledged the Buckeyes will have to make some adjustments number-wise in order to get down to 110 players on the roster before camp begins on Aug. 4.

“The first thing we have to do is try to get him eligible and then we’ll kind of go from there,” Day said.

Lewis will be a junior this fall with three years of eligibility remaining. He converted 26-of-35 field goals – including a career-long 52-yarder – and 46-of-47 extra point attempts in two seasons as the Trojans’ starting kicker.

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