Ohio State center Seth McLaughlin might have missed the last two games of the Buckeyes regular season, but what he put on the field in the first 10 games was enough for voters to name him the winner of the Rimington Trophy, given to the best center in all of college football each year.
Before the 38-15 win over Indiana on Nov. 23, it was revealed that McLaughlin tore his Achilles tendon in practice and would be out for the remainder of the season, a big blow to the Buckeyes offensive line that had already taken a hit earlier in the season when Josh Simmons went down with a season-ending injury of his own.
He joins Billy Price (2017), Pat Elflein (2016) and LeCharles Bentley (2001) as the only Ohio State centers to win the Rimington Award.
Even after Simmons’ injury, McLaughlin and the reshuffled OSU front five were able to put together multiple good games, most notably a game-ending drive against Penn State on Nov. 2 that saw the Buckeyes run 11 straight times to get out of a situation in which they were pinned at their own 1-yrd line with 58 yards on the ground.
McLaughlin was a big part of the offensive line as a whole being named a semifinalist for the Joe Moore award and was also recognized as one of the better leaders in the Buckeyes’ locker room, something he continued after his injury as well.
“He knows these guys well. He knows what’s going on in terms of the calls and knows the dynamics,” Day said. “It’s one thing to have a coach. It’s another thing to have a player or a peer that you can go to for certain things. There’s some things you can talk to your coach about that are easier to talk to another player about. Just about preparation, guys who have been through it, been through it this year, know the team dynamics, things like that. He’s going to be around these guys the best he can, the most he can.”
McLaughlin spent just one season with Ohio State after playing at Alabama for four years and along with the Rimington Trophy, he was a semifinalist for the Outland Trophy — the only center of seven players listed — given to the nation’s best interior offensive lineman, and the William V. Campbell Trophy, which recognizes a player for combined academic success, football performance and leadership.
McLaughlin was also named a first-team Walter Camp All-American on Thursday.
