The Ohio State Buckeyes hit the transfer portal hard this offseason. Head coach Ryan Day committed a ton of resources to improve his roster after several disappointing season finales in recent years. One of those additions was center Seth McLaughlin.
The former Alabama Crimson Tide blocker was among the nation's best middlemen in 2021 and 2022, ranking as a top-25 Power 5 starter. But the change to a mobile QB in Jalen Milroe made a difference. PFF has named McLaughlin as a bounce-back candidate.
McLaughlin's 2023 season at Alabama didn't end as he might have hoped, especially with his performance in the Rose Bowl against Michigan not reflecting his true talent as a center.
Moving to Ohio State, McLaughlin will enhance the Buckeyes' formidable offensive line. This transfer offers him a fresh opportunity to redeem himself and take on the reigning national champions once again.
During his time in Tuscaloosa, McLaughlin and quarterback Jalen Milroe struggled to find their rhythm together, leading to a season riddled with mishandled snaps, fumbles, and penalties (a total of seven).
His performance hit a low in the final game, where he was responsible for one sack and two pressures, receiving a pass-blocking grade of 38.3.
McLaughlin is now focused on recapturing his performance levels from 2021 and 2022, during which he consistently received grades in the mid-70s.
The Buckeyes certainly need McLaughlin to be less of the player who embarrassed himself against Michigan in the College Football Playoff and more of a stout presence. Ohio State's running game under Chip Kelly should be phenomenal, but Day is keeping the pressure on McLaughlin.
Per Day , "Seth's snaps have been great. I know that was a little bit of a concern, I think it had a little bit to do with the (quarterback's) cadence or whatever. He's been doing great."
McLaughlin's notorious botched snap during Alabama's ultimate fourth-down attempt against Michigan, vying for a place in the national championship, effectively sabotaged the Crimson Tide's last opportunity in the 27-20 overtime defeat to the eventual champions. The mistimed snap disrupted Milroe's rhythm, aiding the Wolverines in thwarting Alabama's final effort to even the score.
"There's a lot that goes into it," McLaughlin told reporters in late January. "Kind of just, once you have a bad one, you kind of start thinking about, 'OK, I got to get this right.' I don't think I was struggling from a mental standpoint, it was a matter of it just happened. I can't really explain what was going on and what went into it, but that's really in the past and I'm looking on moving forward from that."
Local Alabama State
Most Popular
Comments / 0