St. Thomas More Grad Transfers to Ohio State Football Program
By Larry Moko
A St. Thomas More Catholic Secondary School graduate expects to be joining one of the strongest collegiate football programs in the United States.
After spending the past two seasons with the University of Buffalo Bulls, punting specialist Anthony Venneri recently announced his commitment to transfer to The Ohio State University.
The Buckeyes have won eight NCAA-recognized national championships in football.
Venneri could be heading to the Columbus campus in a few weeks to continue his Business Administration studies and compete for a starting job with the Buckeyes.
“I had a very successful career at Buffalo for two years but I decided to try a new place and get to a higher level of competition,” Venneri said from his Hamilton home. “It should be a great experience.”
As a walk on with the Mid-Atlantic Conference Bulls in 2022, Venneri was named to the FWAA (Football Writers Association of America) Freshman All-American Team. He started the final 10 games and his 43.0-yard punting average was a Buffalo single-season school record.
The following season, as a sophomore, he started all 12 games, bettering his own school record with a 43.6 average. Twelve of his punts travelled over 50 yards and two went for over 60. In addition, 17 of his attempts were downed inside the opposition’s 20 yard line.
“I’m at home now training and doing my own thing,” Venneri said. “Hopefully I’ll be leaving at the beginning of June when I get my transfer. It’s exciting.”
Although Venneri was a place-kicker, punter, linebacker and running back for the four-time champion St. Thomas More Knights, he saw action only as a punter for Buffalo. And that role isn’t expected to change as a Buckeye.
“I went to Buffalo mainly as a kicker and transferred over to punting,” Venneri said. “I’m better at it now because I’ve gained so much knowledge and experience.”
At 6-foot, 225 pounds, Venneri will be competing against two other punters when Ohio State begins workouts.
“The starter last year transferred to Vanderbilt, so it’s a wide open job,” he said. “There’s a freshman from Australia and a sophomore from Australia. Of the three of us, I’m the only one with game experience. So that could benefit me.”
When asked about his long-range goals, Venneri said: “I’d like to get a shot at the NFL or CFL. And getting a degree from The Ohio State University would set me up for life. We’ll see where my football career takes me.”
His favourite teams? That would be the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and the Pittsburgh Steelers.
“The black and yellow,” he said.
A highlight for Venneri as a member of the Bulls came in Dec. 2022 when his team defeated the Georgia Southern Eagles, 23-21, for the Camellia Bowl title in Montgomery, Ala.
Coach Ryan Day’s Big 10 Ohio State squad started its 2023 schedule with 11 consecutive victories before losing 30-24 to the eventual national champion Michigan Wolverines.
