COLUMBUS, Ohio — Payton Pierce may not have ended up at Ohio State were it not for a coaching change.

Ohio State assistant James Laurinaitis was at Notre Dame in 2022, and it seemed Pierce was leaning toward the Irish. Then Laurinaitis left for his alma mater in early 2023, and things flipped.

And in late December, Pierce officially signed his letter of intent to play for the Buckeyes.

“This is a guy who, he wrestled, he’s done so much for his team, he’ll play quarterback, he’s very versatile and he’s done a lot of things,” coach Ryan Day said. “He comes from an unbelievable program and a great family. He brings a toughness, a hard-hat mentality and we’re very excited about him.”