Zips Land Ohio State Transfer Tommy Brown

Bowling Green wasn't the only MAC team to pick up an impact transfer this week. Akron Zips head coach Terry Bowden snatched up a local product in Ohio State transfer Tommy Brown on Saturday, per the Akron Beacon Journal's George Thomas. Transfers between Division I schools normally are made to sit out a year, but according to Thomas he'll look to get a hardship waiver so that he can play right away.

Former Firestone football standout LT Tommy Brown is transferred to UA, will seek hardship waiver to play 2014.

— George Thomas (@GeorgeThomasABJ) August 2, 2014

The 6-foot-4, 310-pound left tackle graduated from Akron Firestone High School and was a three star recruit coming out of high school. Besides Ohio State, he had offers from Cincinnati, Duke, Michigan State and West Virginia. He'll have one more year of eligibility.

Brown hasn't been able to see the field much during his Buckeye career, but he earned his first varsity letter last season after appearing in fourteen games. Those were mostly on special teams, although he did see action along the offensive line against Florida A&M, Purdue and Penn State.

The Zips will need to replace three starters on the offensive line, including left tackle Jarrod Pughsley, left guard Henry Orelus, and right tackle Zenel Demhasaj. Brown would fit nicely into that left tackle position and provide a viable replacement for Pughsley, who was in the Dallas Cowboys' camp earlier this summer before being waived.

This is the third Ohio State transfer that Bowden has welcomed to the team. Defensive End Jamal Marcus chose Akron as his new destination early last month and Se'Von Pittman joined last year. It's certainly a pipeline that Bowden wants to keep alive and healthy as Ohio State brings in the top talent in the state each and every year. If Akron can build on that relationship they can acquire some talented football players that just can't seem to get on the field in Columbus.