MIAMI – Ohio state football will be without its kicker, Blake Haubeil, for the third time this season, when he faces Alabama in the National Championship Game, after he announced that he tested positive for coronavirus.
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Haubeil lost wins over Rutgers and Indiana due to a groin injury and will again be replaced by freshman Jake Seibert.
Seibert was considered the second biggest kicker in the 2020 recruiting class at La Salle High School. He is technically a gray shirt this season before being included among the 85 stock market players next year. He got extra points against the Hoosiers and the Scarlet Knights, making all 13.
Buckeyes will also not have Dominic DiMaccio. As a walk-on, DiMaccio has entered kickoffs several times this season, including the 49-28 victory over Clemson at the Sugar Bowl. Against Penn State, he dealt with kickoffs and extra points – Seibert did not travel – after Haubeil missed a 20-yard attempt signaling that he was probably not healthy enough to play. The Columbus native scored all three extra points and shared his two kicks with a 22-yard mark and a 23-yard miss.
Ohio State experts have rarely been at full strength in seven games this season. Haubeil lost only one complete game, but lost significant time in others. Drue Chrisman also lost a game this season after a positive test before the Big Ten Championship Game. The walk-on Zach Hoover played in his place and kicked three times for an average of 39.3 yards.
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