McLaughlin was a two-year starter at center for the Crimson Tide, but his career ended ignominiously as he had recurring issues getting the snap to Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe in a Rose Bowl loss to Michigan and other games.
Ohio State head coach Ryan Day attributed the snapping issues to the type of cadence the Crimson Tide used, though he did not get into specifics.
Neither did McLaughlin when the subject came up this week, but he did say he enjoys Ohio State using a verbal cadence rather than having the quarterback clap his hands to signify he is ready for the snap, another common practice Ohio State has used in the past.
“I think that’s been really nice,” McLaughlin said. “As a center, you can get to time up when you’re gonna have to snap it. If you get a ‘wide 80′ (call from the quarterback), you have that whole thing to kind of load up and you know when you’re going to snap the ball, rather than waiting just for a clap.
“I think you kind of attribute it to a golf swing: Imagine going to the top of your backswing and not knowing when to come down hit the ball. So that was something that I kind of struggled with last year, but now going forward I’m super excited with what we’re doing now.”
Ohio State offensive line coach Justin Frye refrained from saying if he was leaning toward starting McLaughlin or returning starter Carson Hinzman at center, but Frye did confirm the new guy is fitting in well.
“Still learning new terminology and you’re learning a new skill set, but he just dove right in and wanted to be a sponge and wanted to learn and he’s doing a good job, and he’s improving every day,” Frye said. “So, that’s what’s making the battle and the competition and all these graded snaps really good for us because they all have that mindset.”
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