Ohio State redshirt freshman tight end Kierre Hawkins has indicated via social media that he will be leaving OSU and transferring to Youngstown State.
Hawkins shared the post below via his Instagram page, which was first spotted by Ryan Donnelly of Rivals.
Hawkins was one of three tight ends signed by the Buckeyes in 2016. He joined fellow 4-star prospects Luke Farrell and Jake Hausmann in the class. All three tight ends redshirted last season.
When this past spring rolled around, head coach Urban Meyer said Hawkins was absent from practice due to some academic issues that he needed to address.
Hawkins never saw the field in 2017 and his presumed departure does not come unexpectedly.
With the Buckeyes returning both Hausmann and Farrell next year, and the expected return of rising junior A.J. Alexander, who missed the season with an injury, as well as the upcoming signing of 5-star tight end prospect Jeremy Ruckert in the 2018 recruiting class, the writing has been on the wall for a while now.
Ohio State has not yet confirmed the transfer.