For Ohio State University Buckeyes center Seth McLaughlin, food is fuel for his performance on the field. And when he sees his neighbors going hungry, he can’t help but do something about it.
Since he was young, the 2024 All-American and Rimington Trophy winner has been taught to recognize others’ needs and do what he can with what he has to give back. This season, he personally raised more than $11,000 for Mid-Ohio Food Collective through the sale of his signature “Run The Damn Ball” caps. On December 17, he presented a check to a cheering group of Buckeyes fans at the Mid-Ohio Foodbank.
“I love Columbus. You get recognized on the street and get an ‘O-H!’” Seth said. “I also have to remember that for all the attention football gets, it’s only for 12 weeks in the fall. The rest of the time, there are people who need help.”
Originally from Knoxville, Tennessee, Seth attended high school in Georgia and played for the Alabama Crimson Tide before transferring to The Ohio State University in 2024. Growing up a football player, Seth would eat a lot to bulk up. At the same time, he would see food insecurity among his friends and teammates.
“My parents would pack me extra food as a kid because I’ve always been trying to put on extra weight as a lineman. My parents would pack me two sandwiches in my lunch, and I’d give one away,” Seth said.
One evening after middle school football practice, one of Seth’s teammates caught a ride home with him and his dad. The teammate’s parents weren’t there when they arrived, and Seth said it seemed like his friend’s siblings were waiting on their older brother to make them dinner.
“It was a 12-year-old running the show. My dad asked them, ‘Are you hungry? You want to grab a bite to eat?” Seth said. “There was a moment of hesitation, but they said no.”
That night struck a chord with Seth, and he and his dad talked on the way home about what it means to look out for people in need. Now, as an adult, he’s made it his goal to help feed people wherever life takes him.
Helping Mid-Ohio Food Collective, which serves Columbus and 20 counties in Ohio, is part of that mission, he said. MOFC distributes enough food for more than 193,000 meals a day. Ohio Stadium, known by its nickname of The Horseshoe (or just “The Shoe”) holds just over 100,000 people.
“The Shoe twice over—that’s the number of meals worth of food that MOFC distributes every day, and that’s pretty crazy if you’ve been to The Shoe,” Seth said. “People from all walks of life are involved with sports. For the amount of love we get here, I just want to help shed light on hunger. Always look out for those in need.”
