Seth McLaughlin Fourth Buckeye to Win Rimington Trophy

© Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch/USA TODAY NETWORK

Ohio State center Seth McLaughlin has officially won the 2024 Rimington Trophy, which is annually awarded to the most outstanding player at the position. He was named the winner of the trophy on Dec. 12, beating out No. 7 Tennessee’s Cooper Mays and Western Michigan’s Jacob Gideon. McLaughlin accomplished the feat despite playing just 10 games this year before suffering a season-ending Achilles injury at practice on Nov. 19.

McLaughlin is the fourth Buckeye to ever win the award, following LeCharles Bentley (2001), Pat Elflein (2016) and Billy Price (2017). His win gives Ohio State the most Rimington Trophy winners in the enitre NCAA. He is also the first winner of the award for the team under current offensive line coach Justin Frye.

Seth McLaughlin's 2024 Season

McLaughlin received heavy criticism toward the end of 2023 with his late-season struggles at Alabama. After the retirement of Nick Saban at the season’s end, McLaughlin would enter the Transfer Portal and joined the No. 6 Buckeyes. He would be the new leader on an offensive line with an abundance of questions surrounding their potential and how they would likely perform in 2024. He would lead the way from the very start in terms of his play and as the vocal leader. McLaughlin played incredibly well throughout the year, garnering praise from college football analysts and NFL scouts alike.

He would excel in both pass protection and the run game. McLaughlin gave up zero sacks and only 4 total pressures in 207 pass blocking snaps. His consistency in the middle of the trenches allowed the Ohio State offense to run the ball effectively and to protect quarterback Will Howard on the large majority of his dropbacks. McLaughlin was asked about how Ohio State has helped him this season as he tried to improve as a 23-year-old senior transfer. He simply stated, “It’s been great. It’s everything I needed.”

McLaughlin's Future

McLaughlin's next stop in his career will come in the NFL. He will surely be one of the top, if not the first, centers taken in the 2025 NFL Draft. In the meantime, he will be assisting the Buckeyes in their playoff run from the sideline. He explained how he would be helping the team during their postseason run earlier this week as well.

“I’m just gonna do my best to coach them up—try to be the middle man between the players and the coaches,” he said.

McLaughlin had a tremendous impact on the field for Ohio State and in the Columbus, Ohio community this year. He will still be working off the field, making the biggest impact possible from the sidelines for the Buckeyes.