2021 Marjory Stoneman Douglas (FL) OT Michael McLaughlin signed with the Miami Hurricanes earlier today. McLaughlin is Miami's third signee of the day.
The 6-7 290 pounder is currently a consensus 4-star prospect in the national rankings. According to the 247Sports Composite Ranking, McLaughlin is the #338 player nationally in 2021, the #26 OT in the country, and the #55 player in the Sunshine State.
Recruiting Story
Michael McLaughlin is technically a South Florida offensive lineman, but he lived in Indiana before moving to Parkland before his junior year of high school. McLaughlin was a 255-pound jumbo tight end when he attended a Miami camp in June of 2019. That is when then-offensive line coach Butch Barry saw McLaughlin and wanted to try him out at offensive tackle. He received a Miami offer on the OL that same day. McLaughlin was one of the most frequent visitors to Miami games and practices from that point forward. He committed to the new offensive line coach Garin Justice on March 2nd of this year while watching one of Miami’s few spring practices before the COVID shutdowns. McLaughlin has been one of the most solid commits in the class since then, having picked UM over offers from FSU, Virginia Tech, Ole Miss, and Louisville among others.
Evaluation
On film, McLaughlin shows a ton of ability to drive block in the run game. Shows plus aggression to run through his target and clear out space for the ball carrier; looks to devastatingly finish his matchups. That natural strength bodes well for his future prospects once he actually gets into a college strength and conditioning program. Shows some awareness to look for work when a defender isn’t directly rushing at him. His pass sets are going to continue to need a lot of work and still look uncomfortable at times, but he absolutely has a better grasp of what he needs to be doing and why he needs to be doing it, showing he can execute the basics in pass protection. Sports a long frame, and his step distance can cover more ground on the outside with better angles. With his length and improved hand placement, has the upside to shut down even the best speed rushers off the edge. Nowhere near a finished product, but ultimately, he has improved exponentially from Paradise Camp 2019, and with such a great learning curve, you love to see that he’s on the right trajectory.
McLaughlin beefed up prior to his senior year, gaining 35 pounds, and is starting to look more and more like a college level offensive tackle, but will likely still need time in the weight room at Miami to really reach his true potential.
The Team
Miami will have seven offensive tackles on campus once McLaughlin arrives, assuming 5th year senior Jarrid Williams does not elect to return for another season. Miami also has interior players such as Jalen Rivers that could potentially make the transition to right tackle. The offensive tackle room also has two players who opted out of this season, Kai-Leon Herbert and Zalontae Hillary, who will have to fight to regain their position on the depth chart if they elect to return.
Redshirt Probability: 8/10
In March when McLaughlin committed to Miami, it would have been preposterous to suggest that he would be someone who could play early at Miami. Now that McLaughlin has reshaped his body to resemble more of a college level offensive tackle and is set to enroll early, he at least should be considered a long shot for early playing time. With that being said, it will still likely take a year or two for McLaughlin to finish the transition of his frame and improve his technique to the level it needs to be to really see the field in a meaningful way.
The 6-7 290 pounder is currently a consensus 4-star prospect in the national rankings. According to the 247Sports Composite Ranking, McLaughlin is the #338 player nationally in 2021, the #26 OT in the country, and the #55 player in the Sunshine State.
Recruiting Story
Michael McLaughlin is technically a South Florida offensive lineman, but he lived in Indiana before moving to Parkland before his junior year of high school. McLaughlin was a 255-pound jumbo tight end when he attended a Miami camp in June of 2019. That is when then-offensive line coach Butch Barry saw McLaughlin and wanted to try him out at offensive tackle. He received a Miami offer on the OL that same day. McLaughlin was one of the most frequent visitors to Miami games and practices from that point forward. He committed to the new offensive line coach Garin Justice on March 2nd of this year while watching one of Miami’s few spring practices before the COVID shutdowns. McLaughlin has been one of the most solid commits in the class since then, having picked UM over offers from FSU, Virginia Tech, Ole Miss, and Louisville among others.
Evaluation
On film, McLaughlin shows a ton of ability to drive block in the run game. Shows plus aggression to run through his target and clear out space for the ball carrier; looks to devastatingly finish his matchups. That natural strength bodes well for his future prospects once he actually gets into a college strength and conditioning program. Shows some awareness to look for work when a defender isn’t directly rushing at him. His pass sets are going to continue to need a lot of work and still look uncomfortable at times, but he absolutely has a better grasp of what he needs to be doing and why he needs to be doing it, showing he can execute the basics in pass protection. Sports a long frame, and his step distance can cover more ground on the outside with better angles. With his length and improved hand placement, has the upside to shut down even the best speed rushers off the edge. Nowhere near a finished product, but ultimately, he has improved exponentially from Paradise Camp 2019, and with such a great learning curve, you love to see that he’s on the right trajectory.
McLaughlin beefed up prior to his senior year, gaining 35 pounds, and is starting to look more and more like a college level offensive tackle, but will likely still need time in the weight room at Miami to really reach his true potential.
The Team
Miami will have seven offensive tackles on campus once McLaughlin arrives, assuming 5th year senior Jarrid Williams does not elect to return for another season. Miami also has interior players such as Jalen Rivers that could potentially make the transition to right tackle. The offensive tackle room also has two players who opted out of this season, Kai-Leon Herbert and Zalontae Hillary, who will have to fight to regain their position on the depth chart if they elect to return.
Redshirt Probability: 8/10
In March when McLaughlin committed to Miami, it would have been preposterous to suggest that he would be someone who could play early at Miami. Now that McLaughlin has reshaped his body to resemble more of a college level offensive tackle and is set to enroll early, he at least should be considered a long shot for early playing time. With that being said, it will still likely take a year or two for McLaughlin to finish the transition of his frame and improve his technique to the level it needs to be to really see the field in a meaningful way.
