This is a developing story and will be updated.
Ohio State starting center Seth McLaughlin tore an Achilles tendon in practice on Tuesday, a source told The Dispatch.
He’s likely to miss the rest of the season, as the usual timeline to recover from an Achilles tear is months.
The setback is significant for the Buckeyes, who have already suffered injuries on their offensive line ahead of the stretch run of the season that begins with a top-five matchup against unbeaten Indiana on Saturday.
Josh Simmons, the much-improved starting left tackle who transferred from San Diego State last year, suffered a season-ending knee injury in a loss at Oregon last month.
Without Simmons available on the blind side, the Buckeyes reshuffled the line, moving left guard Donovan Jackson to tackle and inserting Carson Hinzman at guard in place of Jackson, a configuration that debuted in a win at Penn State three weeks ago.
The arrival of McLaughlin, an experienced center who made 24 career starts at Alabama before transferring to Ohio State in January, has helped to stabilize an offensive line that was up and down in 2023.
The Buckeyes were named one of 10 semifinalists last week for the Joe Moore Award, which recognizes the best offensive line in college football.
McLaughlin also received recognition last month as multiple outlets, including the Associated Press and The Sporting News, named him to their midseason All-American teams.
Along with providing veteran leadership while anchoring the line, McLaughlin had helped the Buckeyes improved their rushing attack. Through Week 12, the Buckeyes were averaging 5.25 yards per carry, ranking 23rd in the Football Bowl Subdivision. Their 4.19 average last season was 79th.
Ohio State has also surrendered just 12 sacks in 10 games. Only 22 out of the 134 FBS teams have allowed fewer.
Who is Seth McLaughlin’s backup on the depth chart?
Josh Padilla, a redshirt freshman from Huber Heights, has been the backup behind McLaughlin in recent weeks and replaced him at center when the Buckeyes pulled their starters on offense for their final series of last Saturday’s win at Northwestern.
But during his radio show on 97.1 The Fan earlier this month, Buckeyes coach Ryan Day had acknowledged the possibility of also moving Hinzman to center if they needed a backup during the stretch run.
Hinzman started 12 games at center last year as a redshirt freshman before McLaughlin supplanted him.
If Hinzman returns to center, the Buckeyes could turn to Austin Siereveld or Luke Montgomery to step in at left guard. Â
Siereveld made two games at left guard to begin the season when Jackson was sidelined with a hamstring injury. Montgomery has rotated for Hinzman with the second-team offensive line.
Seth McLaughlin stats
McLaughlin had made 10 starts this season, logging 565 snaps for the Buckeyes, per Pro Football Focus.
Along with Simmons and right guard Tegra Tshabola, he was also one of the only Ohio State starting offensive lineman who had not allowed a sack this year, according to the analytics website.
Joey Kaufman covers Ohio State football for The Columbus Dispatch. Follow him on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, @joeyrkaufman or email him at jkaufman@dispatch.com.
