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Before one of Ohio State's biggest games of the season, it has lost one of its best players. Center Seth McLaughlin, a candidate to be an All-American at the end of the season, is out for the rest of the year with a torn Achilles, according to Joey Kaufman and Bill Rabinowitz of the Columbus Dispatch.
This is a massive blow to the Ohio State offense before a top five matchup with Indiana on Saturday in Columbus. Ohio State is already without star left tackle Josh Simmons, who is out for the season with a knee injury.
The No. 2-ranked Buckeyes will have to do some more reshuffling up front before they take on No. 5 Indiana and its elite defense. Coming into this game, the Hoosiers are ranked No. 3 in the nation in total defense and are also in the top 10 in scoring defense.
Any time is a bad time for an Achilles injury, but this one comes at an especially unfortunate moment for McLaughlin. The Ohio State star was slated to attend the Senior Bowl after the season and is one of the top center prospects heading into the 2025 NFL Draft. He was also a candidate for a handful of postseason awards, including an All-American nod and the Rimington Trophy for the best center in college football.
How Ohio State will manage the game offensively is now a big question as they get ready to face an elite defense in Indiana. If the Buckeyes are able to come out with a win on Saturday, they will also have to take on more great units on that side of the ball in the Big Ten title game and the College Football Playoff.
McLaughlin's experience and his leadership will be severely missed up front for Ohio State. The snapping and blocking can be replaced, but it's so difficult to replace the quarterback of your offensive line at this point in the season. McLaughlin's skill as a communicator and an organizer up front will be the hardest thing to replace. If they have any hiccup in that department, Indiana will make the Buckeyes pay on Saturday.
