Terry McLaurin is set to complete one of his biggest goals at Ohio State this weekend.
The fourth-year junior wide receiver from Indianapolis is set to receive his degree in communications during Ohio State’s autumn commencement on Sunday.
A team captain, McLaurin has had the most productive season of his career to date on the football field, catching 28 passes for 434 yards and six touchdowns, including a career-long 84-yard touchdown reception in Ohio State’s Big Ten Championship win over Wisconsin – a play that McLaurin won’t soon forget, given that he made it in his hometown and at Lucas Oil Stadium, the same stadium in which he helped lead Cathedral High School to four straight state championships.
"I can’t lie, I’ve watched it a lot," McLaurin said of his Big Ten Championship Game touchdown. "You dream about it, you run through your head all the time, making a big play in a stage like that and then, for me to do that for our team, it’d be just a big momentum shift in that game and then the icing was on the cake, I had so many friends and family in my hometown, so it was really cool."
But while setting himself up to make a big play in a big game on the field, McLaurin has also worked hard off the field, enabling him to complete his undergraduate degree this semester.
"That’s one thing nobody can ever take away from me," McLaurin said of earning his degree. "This football game’s going to end at some point in my career. So to have that, a graduate of Ohio State, and to do it in three-and-a-half years is something I’m really proud of."
Much like they were in Indianapolis, McLaurin expects to have a large contingent of family and friends in attendance once again when he receives his diploma at the Schottenstein Center on Sunday.
"My mom and my parents are really excited for me to get that degree, and something I’m really proud of," McLaurin said. "It’s not always easy to do, especially when you’re a student-athlete, but that’s going to take me further down in life than football can."
“That’s one thing nobody can ever take away from me.”– Terry McLaurin on graduating from Ohio State
While McLaurin has done his part in the classroom to set himself up for a career after football, he is planning to pursue a career in the NFL first. He has not yet decided, however, if he will begin pursuing that dream after this season or return to Ohio State for his final season of college football eligibility.
Now that he has completed his academic coursework, McLaurin says his full focus for the next two weeks will be on finishing the season – and perhaps his Ohio State career – strong when the Buckeyes play USC in the Cotton Bowl on Dec. 29.
"I have this last game to focus on, so I haven’t really looked too far into it," McLaurin says in regards to making a decision on his future. "I’ll address that when that time comes, but I’m a person that kind of tries to take things a step at a time. So I’m not looking so far into my future decisions that I’m neglecting this game or just trying to get my degree."
That’s not to say, though, that McLaurin hasn’t given thought about potentially making the jump to the NFL. He says he has spoken to former Ohio State wide receiver teammates Noah Brown and Jalin Marshall, who both left after their redshirt sophomore seasons, about their experiences of going through the draft process and playing in the NFL.
"I actually talked to Jalin Marshall this past week," McLaurin said last week, "he gave me some good advice: just make the best decision for you. Only you know what’s best for you, so I can’t speak on their decision, they feel like that was best for them and I respect that. He just told me just to be smart about your decision – especially, first of all, graduate, which I’m doing, so that’s first and foremost. And then, just look at all your options and what will best benefit you down the line."
As McLaurin weighs his options after the season and makes his decision on whether or not to go pro, Marshall and Brown themselves could serve as cautionary tales: Marshall went undrafted in 2016, while Brown went in the seventh round of the 2017 draft, and there’s a case to be made that both could have improved their draft stocks if they returned to Ohio State for one or two more seasons.
The one key difference that could make it a less risky decision for McLaurin to take his chances on the NFL now: He’ll leave Ohio State with his degree regardless of whether or not he returns for next season. At the same time, though, McLaurin also recognizes that staying at Ohio State for another year would give him an opportunity to begin graduate school while still on scholarship.
"The situation that I’m in, I can come back and work on grad school, which is nice," McLaurin said. "I view that as kind of just using the program to your advantage. You’re still under scholarship, and you can use that and work on more school, that’s going to even better you down the road. So I just try to keep all my options open and just go from there."
Once the season comes to an end, McLaurin will weigh the pros and cons of going pro or staying in Columbus for another year, then make his decision before the Jan. 15 deadline to declare for the 2018 NFL draft.
There’s one decision, however, that McLaurin has already made: If he stays at Ohio State for his redshirt senior season, he plans to put his all into making it the best season he possibly can.
"If I’m here, I’m going to give it everything I got," McLaurin said. "Be a two-time captain, I want to do all of that. I want to have a chance to even take another shot at winning the whole thing. But I just try to take it a step at a time and focus on what we have now, which is getting better for this bowl season and getting ready for USC."
