Before the season, the Ohio State football team allowed several transfers into the program. A lot of them were highly touted and had a lot of hype surrounding them. Will Howard came in as the new quarterback. Quinshon Judkins was the new shiny toy at running back.
Caleb Downs is perhaps the best transfer of them all. He's shown that he is the best safety in the country. There was a lot of hype surrounding him as well. There is one transfer player who was brought in who has played just as solid and is the most underrated of the transfers.
That player is center Seth McLaughlin. McLaughlin came in respected as a blocker, but he had some serious snapping issues for Alabama a year ago. It was most noticeable in the Rose Bowl against Michigan. Ohio State football fans were concerned about those problems.
Seth McLaughlin has been an unheralded hero for the Ohio State football team
McLaughlin has not only fixed those snapping issues; he hasn't really had any poor snaps so far this season. He's been able to keep most of his snaps right where Howard needs them to be. His blocking was never really a question. McLaughlin was seen as one of the best blocking centers in the country.
He has kept up his solid blocking this year too. The only game in which he wasn't great in that regard was the Nebraska game. Everyone on the offensive line performed poorly in that contest. He is the leader up front that everyone looks towards, especially in big games.
If the Ohio State Buckeyes are going to win a national championship, they're going to need him to keep playing at this sort of level. He is someone that this offensive line is going to lean on. After these next two games, they are going to get much tougher for the rest of the year.