When you think of Ohio State's returning talent, your mind probably doesn't jump to Drue Chrisman, Sean Nuernberger or Liam McCullough, but maybe it should.
While much of the team is in flux this season with a new quarterback, new pieces on the offensive line, drastic changes in the secondary and three new starters at linebacker, Ohio State returns every single starter on one particular unit – it just might not be the flashiest one.
At punter, the Buckeyes return a player that had one of the finest freshmanp seasons of any Ohio State punter in program history. Chrisman averaged 44.2 yards per punt during the 2017 season – better than even Cameron Johnston's average during his freshman and junior seasons – and of his 51 total punts, 25 of them were downed inside the 20-yard line and 15 were boomed over 50 yards.
Perhaps most impressively, Chrisman was adept at limiting the opponents' return opportunities – a key coaching point for Buckeye punters. He didn't allow a single punt return for the team's first 10 games, going 30-straight punts without allowing a return yard.
At place kicker, Ohio State returns a veteran player coming off of his best season yet. During the 2017 season, Nuernberger kicked more field goals than he had any other year, and also had his highest make percentage. He kicked 21 field goals throughout the season and hit 17 of them for a make percentage of 81 percent.
Nuernberger is also one of the most consistent extra point kickers in history. He's never missed an extra point in his three seasons as the starting place kicker and this past fall, he broke the Big Ten record for most consecutive extra point makes.
He's currently made 177-straight extra points, which is just 56 shy of the FBS record. If the Buckeyes average just over four touchdowns a game this season – which is far lower than their typical average – Nuernberger will have a chance to break that record as well.
Then there's long snapper Liam McCullough. While it's very difficult to statistically analyze the production of a long snapper, anyone with eyes can tell when they mess up, and McCullough has been rock solid throughout his two years as a starter.
But McCullough's importance to the team is a little deeper than that. In Ohio State's punt coverage scheme, McCullough is far more than just the guy that gets Chrisman the ball, he's a gunner. Since the rules dictate that defenders cannot attack the long snapper when they attempt to block a punt, McCullough can get off the line untouched and get down the field.
It takes a unique skill set to be able to snap the ball, get down field in a hurry, and have the awareness to either deny a return or down the ball. McCullough is a vital part of the excellent Buckeye punt coverage team.
None of these players are flashy and they aren't likely to win you games by themselves, but they're reliable veteran players at key positions that you can rely on in the midst of uncertainty elsewhere on the roster.
If the offense isn't clicking, you can count on Chrisman to shift the field with his booming leg and perfect ball placement, or Nuernberger to get points even if you can't punch it into the end zone.
They're not the sort of players you remember when you're listing out the team's strengths, but they're all good enough to allow you the luxury of forgetting about them. That's kind of their thing.
