READY TO LET GO OF SNAPPING ISSUE, SETH MCLAUGHLIN WILL ADD TO OHIO STATE’S 2024 OFFENSIVE LINE
When Seth McLaughlin was seven years old, he took over as center. He remains in touch with the youth coach who initially placed him there.
Snapping had not been a problem for him in the fifteen or so years that had passed since then. In 2022, he participated in 11 games for Alabama, starting eight of them, and there was no problem.
However, problems appeared out of the blue in 2023, leading to a College Football Playoff game in which he made two poor snaps that stalled a successful Crimson Tide drive and threw off quarterback Jalen Milroe’s rhythm on Alabama’s final fourth-and-goal play. In overtime, the Tide fell short of the eventual national champions, 27-20.
After a negative experience, you begin to feel as though you need to do things correctly. According to McLaughlin, “I don’t think I was struggling mentally; it was more like, it would just happen.” “I’m looking forward to moving forward from that, but I really can’t explain what was going on and what went into it.”
McLaughlin is more excited to get into the Ohio State offensive line room and help the Buckeyes win football games in 2024 than he is to work this offseason to make sure his snapping isn’t a problem again come fall.
Personally, McLaughlin stated, “I’ve always thrived off of change.” “I’ve played for two strength staffs, three different offensive coordinators, and three different offensive line coaches. I felt that Alabama had done a fantastic job of turning me from a 265-pound kid into the 300-pound center that I was at this point in my career. However, I believed that for my fifth year, I could try something new, attend a program, pick up new skills from new people, join a new strength staff, and make significant development progress.
McLaughlin was drawn to Ohio State because of its comparable prestige to Alabama.
The road grader wanted to be on a team contending for a championship when searching for a new team for his fifth and final season. McLaughlin registered on the transfer portal prior to Nick Saban’s retirement.
The similar prestige of Ohio State to Alabama drew McLaughlin in.
When looking for a new team for his fifth and final season, the road grader wanted to be on one that was competing for a championship. McLaughlin had registered before Nick Saban retired via the transfer portal.
The fact that the Buckeyes have so many players returning from 2023 is one of the reasons they should, or at least will, be discussing national titles in 2024.
The majority of Ohio State’s 2021 recruiting class’s stars are returning for their senior year, with many of them predicted to be day two or three draft picks. This includes Donovan Jackson, the left guard, with whom McLaughlin is expected to play if he continues to play center.
Having so many starters who could play professionally again, according to McLaughlin, is a “testament to the culture” of Ohio State.
McLaughlin remarked, “You have so many guys that could have been drafted this year and came back.” “I don’t want to speak for them, but it sounds like they want to win all the games, feel like they have unfinished business, and leave a legacy here.”
There are a ton of guys who could have been drafted this year and returned, said McLaughlin. “I don’t want to speak for them, but it sounds like they want to win all the games, feel like they have unfinished business, and leave a legacy here.”
When something like that happens to you, you kind of have to take a seat, examine yourself, and decide, “OK, who am I as a person, what am I?” stated McLaughlin. “After that, I took a seat and considered my options for the future. What has already happened is beyond my control. I have no control over what transpired in that game or how the public reacted to it. But now that I’m here, I have a fantastic opportunity to advance my career, play for a fantastic program, and work with fantastic coaches. I’m so really optimistic. I don’t feel badly about what transpired.
