Ohio State’s Pat Elflein a finalist for the 2016 Rimington Trophy

Pat Elflein has gotten a lot of accolades for his performance this season. Earlier, he was named the Big Ten’s offensive lineman of the year. He’s gotten love from NFL scouts and talent evaluators. And now, he might be on the cusp of a yet another individual accolade.

Elflein has been named a finalist for the 2016 Rimington Trophy, given to the best Center in the country.

There are three finalists, with Elflein being joined by Tyler Orlosky of West Virginia, and Ethan Pocic of LSU.

Ohio State’s offensive line hasn’t always been stellar in every game, but Elflein’s performance has been excellent, ash he’s provided important senior leadership for a unit rife with youngsters, and helped pave the way for an efficient power running game, providing big holes for J.T. Barrett, Mike Weber and Curtis Samuel to run through.

Ohio State’s skill position players get a lot of love, but without Elflein, Ohio State almost certainly isn’t the College Football Playoff. Congrats to Pat!