In football, the common cliché is if you know the long snapper’s name, then he isn’t doing his job. But soon, people might know Jake McQuaide for a different reason — being an Ohio State football player turned aeronautical engineer.

“It’s an exciting field,” McQuaide said of his chosen major. “Ever since I was a little kid I have been enthralled with airplanes.”

McQuaide did not necessarily plan on aeronautical engineering as his chosen field when he arrived at OSU.

“I took an intro class on a whim,” McQuaide said. “The class blew my mind.”

The schedule that McQuaide has to follow with football and such a difficult major is enough to blow the mind of the average student on campus, but he manages.

“I’ve missed a few meetings, I’ve never missed a practice in my four years here,” McQuaide said.

He acknowledges the help of professors in juggling such demanding opposing interests as football and engineering.

“I had a lot of professors that would help me,” McQuaide said. “They are definitely understanding.”

Much like the hard work that helps him succeed in the classroom, McQuaide’s work ethic on the football field led him to where he is now.

He walked on to the football team in 2006 then sat the entire year as a redshirt.

The following year, McQuaide began to rotate at the long snapper position with Dimitrios Makridis and Jackson Haas, appearing in six games.

His sophomore season in 2008, McQuaide took over the role as starting long snapper. He also earned an athletic scholarship at the beginning of Autumn Quarter that year.

McQuaide, who is 6-foot-3-inches and weighs 234 pounds, was never intimidated as a walk-on redshirt freshman battling for playing time, he said.

It’s that confidence that makes McQuaide so effective in his role as long snapper, one of the most overlooked yet important positions on the field.

The humble McQuaide downplays this role.

“I only have one job; it shouldn’t be that hard to do one job,” McQuaide said.

Often that one job can be the difference between a win and a loss, which is why McQuaide’s experience is so valuable.

As a fifth-year senior and veteran on the team, McQuaide knows that the Buckeyes have a tough slate ahead if they want to become Big Ten champions again and contend for a national title.

“We always say when the stadium gets louder, we get better,” McQuaide said of the pressure.

He believes that the biggest home field advantage is the one the Buckeyes gain themselves, and said the Shoe is the “most intimidating place to play.”

Halfway through his senior season, McQuaide realizes his time as a Buckeye is running out.

“It’s like boom — halfway gone,” McQuaide said. “Just to think we have like seven games left blows you away.”

McQuaide doesn’t know what the future will hold for him after his time at Ohio State but isn’t ready to quit playing football.

“I’ll definitely see what football has to say,” McQuaide said, “see what happens with the NFL.”

At his position, McQuaide might be hoping that the scouts have never heard of him, after all, that means he is doing his job.

If the NFL doesn’t work out, McQuaide might just have to settle for being an aeronautical engineer, which will be just fine with him.