Nick Saban lauds center Seth McLaughlin: 'He's got the right stuff'

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Center Seth McLaughlin enters Year 4 at Alabama as a proven veteran along the Crimson Tide offensive line. And while Alabama has multiple options at his position, the senior remains in the driver’s seat to start – and earned the praise of his head coach.

“He does really, really well,” Nick Saban said of McLaughlin. “So does (Darrian) Dalcourt when he’s playing center. I think when you have veteran guys that have contributed to that, it’s good. JC (Latham) and those guys kind of set the tone for that whole group with Seth. He’s done a really, really good job. He’s gotten bigger, he’s gotten stronger.

“He’s always had a tremendous attitude. I don’t think anybody’s ever going to go wrong hiring him, I don’t care what he ends up doing. He’s got the right stuff.”

For the second year in a row, McLaughlin closed out the season as the starting center following injury issues for Dalcourt. With both players back, Alabama looked to get both on the field in the spring, with McLaughlin sticking at center and Dalcourt kicking out to left guard for the majority of the 15 practices. There is still some movement up front with Dalcourt and Terrence Ferguson competing for the left guard spot, but McLaughlin looks to be this group’s anchor.

Now with double-digit starts under his belt, McLaughlin is becoming known for his “run the damn ball” hat, and his experience and desire for a dominant unit should only help the Tide’s offensive line this season. That mindset is contagious to the other players in his position room.

“Of course, and that’s why Seth and I get along so well,” said right guard Tyler Booker. “Seth took me under his wing once I got here, and that’s one of the things he imparted in me. He was like, ‘Look, would you rather drop back and pass it against guys who are 240 pounds? Or would you rather put your weight on somebody and run the ball 30 times a game and give ourselves a real shot at dominating the opponent?’ 

“I love Seth’s mindset and that’s really the mindset of the whole room.”

Alabama’s offensive line has a number of experienced players that should be in the starting five when the 2023 season kicks off in 23 days, which should also provide leadership on that side of the football. Going into his fourth season, Dalcourt has been a steadying force up front.

“He gives us a lot of reassurance at center,” Booker said. “Seth, he makes a lot of calls. Seth and I, and the whole offensive line, we have a great relationship, and he has a great relationship with Coach (Eric) Wolford, as well. Here’s the thing about Coach Wolf: he doesn’t talk at us. He talks with us. It’s almost like we’re colleagues. We work together to find what works best for our offensive line. 

“Seth and the other centers – Darrian, Ferg – they all come together and we see what works best for us. Having a dominant leader at center, whether it’s Seth, Darrian, Ferg or whoever, it’s very reassuring for the rest of the offensive line.”

McLaughlin, veterans will be ‘demanding’ of OTs

While McLaughlin and offensive linemen like Booker, Dalcourt and Latham all have experience with the first team, there are some younger players that are currently battling for the left tackle position. Elijah Pritchett, a redshirt freshman, manned that spot with the ones in the spring but did not do enough to win the job outright, leaving the door open for Kadyn Proctor.

After Wednesday’s sixth preseason practice, Saban was asked about the players in the mix at left tackle and said those two are “in competition” for the role. They “need to continue to develop and play with a little bit more consistency in terms of … paying attention to detail, doing the little things right, being able to stay focused when they get tired, having the mental toughness to see it through,” he said. But he also mentioned the veterans will hold them to a standard.

“I really like the attitude and maturity of the offensive line and the leadership that we have at that position,” Saban said. “So those guys are gonna be pretty demanding on those guys to buy in and do things at the level they need to be able to play the way they’re capable of. 

“Nobody’s disappointed in their development, but if they’re gonna be starters, there’s an expectation that goes with that, too, and I think that’s something that we need to continue to work to get them to be able to do on a consistent basis.”

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