The Ohio State football season is over, but the offseason has just begun and the Buckeyes are putting in work in the transfer portal. The first transfer portal addition came from the Mid-American Conference with the addition of Will Kacmarek from the Ohio Bobcats. We dove into what to expect from him earlier this month.
We then looked at Will Howard, who some have deemed the quarterback to lead the Buckeyes to the Promised Land, and now I want to take a crack at what to expect from my favorite addition, former Alabama Crimson Tide center, Seth McLaughlin.
The Buckeyes have attacked the offense by adding a blocking tight end, a smart quarterback, and also a center with starting experience from the SEC. McLaughlin started 14 games this past season and eight games in 2022, Before that, he had impressive starts in 2021 in the Iron Bowl against the Auburn Tigers and then in the SEC Championship against the Georgia Bulldogs.
Name: Seth McLaughlin
Former School: Alabama Crimson Tide
Height: 6-feet, 4-inches
Weight: 305 pounds
Position: Center
Strengths
Which transfer will have the biggest impact for Ohio State this year? pic.twitter.com/fe6HD1STnJ
— The Scarlet and Gray Podcast (@TheSG_Podcast) January 23, 2024
The most alluring part of Seth McLaughlin is the fact that he has an extremely high floor. Aside from some snapping issues that just came up this season, he is a reliable upper echelon pivot on the offensive line. McLaughlin is a gym rat who has developed into an All-American body type after arriving to Alabama as a three-star recruit. He was only one of two returning starts on this past season’s Tide offensive line and showed the overall leadership and intelligence needed to man the middle of an O-Line.
Weaknesses
Ohio State collective @the1870society just announced that they have completed NIL deals with:
🔥All 15 early-enrollees
🔥Transfers Quinshon Judkins, Seth McLaughlin
🔥Returners JT Tuimoloau, Denzel Burke, Donovan Jackson, Carnell Tate, Cody Simon, Luke Montgomery, Mitchell… pic.twitter.com/S8DvJ7drLQ— The Silver Bulletin (@tSilverBulletin) January 26, 2024
One of the reasons McLaughlin has elected to transfer is due to his slightly underwhelming 2023 season, and some believed that Alabama would bring in competition for McLaughlin in 2024. He had snapping issues which were more prevalent recently but also showed up with less frequency in 2022 as well.
Expectations
He is the newest unit on the offensive line, and we could not be more excited that he has landed in Columbus 😎
We are proud to introduce our newest student-athlete to the 1870 Society, @Seth_Mc24!
Buckeye Nation – please give Seth a warm welcome to the family! #GoBucks pic.twitter.com/3M9zOzLhDq
— The 1870 Society (@the1870society) January 21, 2024
I think its important to set expectations at a reasonable level. I fully believe Seth McLaughlin has All-American potential and his addition is huge for the Ohio State offensive line as a whole. It is extremely hard for an experienced center to evolve and develop while surrounded next to inexperience on the line as well as quarterback like McLaughlin was last season.
The snapping issues aren’t all of his fault and should be something that can be corrected with the majority of his off-season focus being on that trait. McLaughlin has some elite tape against elite competition and allows Carson Hinzman to move to guard, which he is more comfortable at and should elevate the offensive line to a top-tier group.
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