By Danielle Daniels

Becomes the fourth Buckeye to be honored as the nation’s top center

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Seth McLaughlin, who made his lone season at Ohio State an enormous success, added to his postseason trophy case on Thursday night when he was named the recipient of the Rimington Trophy. The announcement was made during the broadcast of the ESPN College Football Awards show.

McLaughlin is the fourth Ohio State Buckeye to win the Rimington after Billy Price in 2017, Pat Elflein in 2016 and LeCharles Bentley in 2001. McLaughlin also now gives Ohio State more Rimington Trophy winners than any school in the country.

“I’m thrilled to be this year’s Rimington Trophy recipient,” said McLaughlin. “An award like this is a testament to the great support system I have around me, including my family, my coaches and my teammates. I am so fortunate that I had the chance to finish my career at Ohio State. Thank you to Coach Frye, Coach Kelly and Coach Day for helping to make this experience everything I could have ever wanted or needed.”

McLaughlin’s season unfortunately came to a premature end when he was injured in practice prior to the Buckeyes’ Nov. 23 game versus Indiana. Prior to the injury, he was the anchor of an offensive line that was a semifinalist for the Joe Moore Award and has powered the Buckeye offense to top 20 rankings in scoring offense (12th) and total offense (17th). McLaughlin graded out as a “champion” in all 10 games that he played this season and has been named a first-team All-American so far by CBS Sports and 247Sports. He was named first-team all-Big Ten Conference on the league’s head coaches’ ballot.

Over his five-year career, McLaughlin started 34 games (24 at Alabama, 10 at Ohio State), played in 45 games and was a part of three conference-championship winning teams and the 2020 College Football Playoff national champions.

McLaughlin was also a finalist for the 2024 William V. Campbell Trophy, the nation’s premier scholar-athlete award. He graduated summa cum laude from Alabama after only 2.5 years and with a perfect 4.00 GPA in 2022, McLauglin continued his studies while playing for the Crimson Tide, earning a master’s in sport hospitality management last December. A 2023 CSC First Team Academic All-American, McLaughlin began working on a third degree in human development and family services after transferring to Ohio State for the 2024 spring semester.

McLaughlin will be recognized at the Rimington Trophy presentation in Lincoln, Nebraska on Saturday, January 25, 2025.

COURTESY OHIO STATE ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS