Sometimes it’s important to remember that real-world athletes aren’t created like fictional characters in video games. They’re not robotics.
For whatever reason, a player’s muscle memory—a talent that generally comes effortlessly to them—can occasionally get knocked off balance.
When Seth McLaughlin was seven years old, he took over as center. He remains in touch with the youth coach who initially placed him there.
Snapping had not been a problem for him in the fifteen or so years that had passed since then.In 2022, he participated in 11 games for Alabama, starting eight of them, and there was no problem.
However, problems appeared out of the blue in 2023, leading to a College Football Playoff game in which he made two poor snaps that stalled a successful Crimson Tide drive and threw off quarterback Jalen Milroe’s rhythm on Alabama’s final fourth-and-goal play. In overtime, the Tide fell short of the eventual national champions, 27-20.
After a negative experience, you begin to consider, “Okay, I gotta get this right.” I didn’t think I was having mental difficulties; rather, I thought it would
McLaughlin is more excited to get inside the Ohio State offensive line room and help the Buckeyes win football games in 2024 than he is to prepare this offseason to make sure his snapping isn’t a problem again come fall.
Personally, McLaughlin stated, “I’ve always thrived off of change.” “I’ve played for two strength staffs, three different offensive coordinators, and three different offensive line coaches. I felt that Alabama had done a fantastic job of turning me from a 265-pound youngster into the 300-pound center that I was at this point in my career. However, I believed that for my fifth year, I could try something new, attend a program, pick up knowledge from new people, join a new strength staff, and make significant advancements in my development.
After a negative experience, you begin to consider, “Okay, I gotta get this right.” According to McLaughlin, “I don’t think I was struggling mentally; it was more like, it would just happen.” “I’m looking forward to moving forward from that, but I really can’t explain what was going on and what went into it.”
McLaughlin is more excited to get inside the Ohio State offensive line room and help the Buckeyes win football games in 2024 than he is to prepare this offseason to make sure his snapping isn’t a problem again come fall.
Personally, McLaughlin stated, “I’ve always thrived off of change.” “I’ve played for three different offensive line coaches and three different offensive coordinators.”
According to McLaughlin, Ohio State’s abundance of players with the potential to play professionally is a “testament to the culture” of the university.
McLaughlin remarked, “You have so many guys that could have been drafted this year and came back.” “I don’t want to speak for them, but it sounds like they want to win all the games, feel like they have unfinished business, and leave a legacy here.”
McLaughlin had to do some introspection in order to get through his Rose Bowl performance. But after giving it some thought, he feels as though he’s been able to let go of the feelings that had been bothering him in the days that followed.
“You kind of have to sit down and look at yourself and be like, ‘OK, who am I as a person, what am I,'” after going through something similar. stated McLaughlin. “After that, I took a seat and considered my options for the future. What has already transpired is beyond my control. I have no influence over what transpired in that game or how the public reacted to it. But now that I’m here, I have a fantastic opportunity to advance my career, play for a fantastic program, and work with fantastic coaches. I’m so extremely optimistic. I don’t feel badly about what transpired.
