Ohio State has suffered a second major injury to its offensive line.
Seth McLaughlin tore his Achilles on Tuesday, according to multiple reports, and is expected to miss the remainder of the 2024 season. Per the Columbus Dispatch, McLaughlin suffered the injury during Tuesday’s practice.
Ohio State has not confirmed the reports, though Ryan Day is scheduled to meet with reporters after Wednesday’s practice.
The injury forces Ohio State to replace its starting center going into a defining stretch of its season that begins Saturday with a top-five matchup against Indiana. McLaughlin’s injury is a massive loss for the Buckeyes as his stabilizing presence in the middle of the offensive line has been seen as one of the biggest factors in Ohio State’s improvement in the trenches this season. The Alabama transfer earned midseason All-American honors from several media outlets and started all of the Buckeyes’ first 10 games this season at center.
He’s the second starter on Ohio State’s offensive line to be sidelined by a major injury this season. Ohio State left tackle Josh Simmons went down with a season-ending knee injury in the Buckeyes’ sixth game of the year vs. Oregon.
Ohio State reshuffled its offensive line following Simmons’ injury, ultimately settling on a combination of Donovan Jackson at left tackle and Carson Hinzman at left guard with McLaughlin at center, Tegra Tshabola at right guard and Josh Fryar at center. Now, the Buckeyes will have to retool their offensive line again.
The most likely option for replacing McLaughlin is moving Hinzman back to center, where he started all 12 of Ohio State’s regular-season games last year. If Hinzman moves to center, Austin Siereveld would likely step in as the Buckeyes’ new left guard as he started Ohio State’s first two games of the season at that position while Jackson was sidelined by a hamstring injury.
Ohio State could also turn to Joshua Padilla, who took second-team reps at center in the Buckeyes’ last two games against Purdue and Northwestern, to replace McLaughlin at center and keep Hinzman at left guard. Luke Montgomery, who has taken second-team reps at left guard for much of the season, could also be an option to enter the lineup at LG if Hinzman moves back to center.
