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USA Today Sports Media Group
USA Today Sports Media Group
Sport
Josh Keatley

Ohio State transfer portal scouting report: Seth McLaughlin

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

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

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

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.

Contact/Follow us @BuckeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Ohio State news, notes, and opinion. Follow Josh Keatley on X.

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