Seth McLaughlin a Rimington Trophy Finalist Despite Injury

© Barbara J. Perenic/Columbus Dispatch/USA TODAY NETWORK

Ohio State center Seth McLaughlin was named a finalist for the Rimington Trophy on Dec. 9. The trophy is annually awarded to the nation's most outstanding center by the Boomer Esiason Foundation. The honor comes in spite of McLaughlin's season-ending achilles injury on Nov. 19 prior to playing No. 8 Indiana (11-1, 8-1 Big Ten Conference).

He still started 10 games for the Buckeyes (10-2, 7-2) this year and was recently named first-team All-Big Ten at his position. He also is a finalist for the William V. Campbell Trophy, given to college football's premier scholar-athlete.

Seth McLaughlin's Season

McLaughlin was incredible in the first 10 games before his injury. According to Pro Football Focus, he only gave up 4 pressures and allowed zero sacks in his 207 pass blocking snaps. The experience and reliability of McLaughlin allowed the Buckeyes' offense to run smoothly. Him and quarterback Will Howard seemed to always be on the exact same page.

He was the clear leader of an offensive line that had many questions surrounding it heading into the season. More questions came to the forefront after tackle Josh Simmons also suffered a season-ending injury against No. 1 Oregon (13-0, 9-0). The line then had to reshuffle, moving multiple players around to new positions. McLaughlin's consistency was a pillar of the unit's continued success during the experimentation with the group.

Without McLaughlin in their last two games, the Ohio State rushing attack did take a hit. They would average a combined 3.5 yards per carry as opposed to the 5.3 yards per carry in his 10 games starting for the Buckeyes. Backup center Carson Hinzman has played well in place of McLaughlin, but the unit struggled while having to find a new combination up front once again. The effects of the latest injury are evident and further proves how important McLaughlin has been this season.

The Other Finalists

McLaughlin is joined by two other finalists, Jacob Gideon of Western Michigan (6-6, 5-3 Mid-American Conference) and Cooper Mays of No. 7 Tennessee (10-2, 6-2 Southeastern Conference). Coincidentally, the Buckeyes already faced Gideon and the Broncos earlier this year and will face Mays and Tennessee in the first round of the College Football Playoff on Dec. 21. Mays has been similar to McLaughlin as a pass protector this year, having a 98.9 pass blocking efficiency rating from PFF. The website also has Gideon as the second-ranked center overall in their player grades. The two of them are absolutely deserving of being in the final three as well.

McLaughlin certainly has steep competition for the award, but him being a finalists in spite of missing the final two games of the year is an incredible feat in itself. If he were to win, it would mark the fourth Ohio State player in history to win the award. He would join Billy Price (2017), Pat Elflein (2016) and LeCharles Bentley (2001).

The winner of the Rimington Trophy will be announced on Thursday, Dec. 12 during ESPN's Home Depot College Football Awards.