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There might not be a more intriguing prospect that the Miami Hurricanes are after in the 2021 class than Michael McLaughlin.
For one, although he is a current Florida resident, he is a complete novice when it comes to the South Florida area. After playing his sophomore season at Danville High up in Indiana, McLaughlin recently made the move to South Florida in late May and enrolled at Marjory Stoneman Douglas in Parkland.
“My sophomore season at Danville in Indiana went really well, I was our starting defensive end and last year was when I was able to make the adjustment from JV to Varsity and got used to the increase in the speed of the game,” McLaughlin said. “We had a relatively inexperienced team, but it was a great season and we got after it day after day at practice.”
The 6-8, 255 pound defensive end and tight end was still looking for his first college offer, but, in early June, he nabbed a scholarship in an unexpected way. While he was attending a Manny Diaz camp and participating in 7-on-7 play as a tight end with his team, OL coach Butch Barry pulled him aside and asked him to workout with the offensive linemen in OL/DL drills. Soon after, he had an offer from the Hurricanes as an offensive lineman.
“When I initially got my offer, it was just kind of hard to comprehend because of how I went from a tight end with no looks in Indiana to receiving an offer for a position I’ve never played from one of the most elite schools in the nation,” McLaughlin said. “I found out after the camp when coach Barry pulled me aside for some individual drills and had a conversation with me afterwards.”
Now that the initial groundwork was beginning to be laid in McLaughlin’s relationship with UM, it didn’t take long for him to decide he was ready to build upon that foundation. Two weeks after his offer, McLaughlin returned to Miami’s campus for the Canes’ premier recruiting event, Paradise Camp.
“I really enjoyed Paradise Camp, it was a unique opportunity to learn from some of the best to play the game,” McLaughlin said. “I loved the competition and I feel like I showed Coach Barry that I had been working hard to improve at my new position… The transition to offensive line has gone very well, I feel like I’m improving every day at practice.”
McLaughlin has now gotten a chance to be coached up by Barry twice in the past two months, and he is already noticing the attention to detail and infectious attitude that the Miami OL coach brings to the field. As a long and athletic talent with room to grow into his frame, McLaughlin perfectly fits the mold of offensive tackle that Barry is targeting to bring into the program.
“When it comes to coach Barry’s coaching, the thing that stands out to me is his energy,” McLaughlin said. “He’s very involved in every single drill and is very enthusiastic about his job.”
Earlier this week during Monday’s fall camp session in Coral Gables, McLaughlin made his third trip to campus and got to witness firsthand how UM and coach Barry conduct a college practice on the offensive line.
“When I was watching Miami’s practice this week, I got a glimpse of what high-level college football is like behind the scenes, and I love how everyone was working hard and not taking any plays off,” he said.
Now that he’s had multiple opportunities to get a feel for the program, what are McLaughlin’s impressions of Miami so far?
“I love the atmosphere at Miami,” McLaughlin said. “All the coaches are very involved during practice, everything’s moving very efficiently, and everybody’s getting after it. I really appreciate the potential that coach Barry sees in me, so Miami is definitely high on my list… So far, what Miami has shown me really has me feeling good about this opportunity.”
While he does not have any other visits scheduled at the moment, McLaughlin is returning from North Florida visits to both UF and FSU last weekend. McLaughlin also recently received his second offer from the Seminoles.
With McLaughlin’s main emphasis on improving his game, recruiting will be on the back burner as he prepares to start his career at right tackle for Stoneman Douglas in 2019. He is in no rush to make a quick decision, and plans to let the recruiting process play out before locking in with a program.
“I do not have a decision timetable right now, my current focus is my upcoming junior season,” McLaughlin said. “And as far as a commitment goes, when I commit to a school, I don’t want to become one of the athletes that decommits. So, until then, I’m going to keep my options open so I will be able to make a fully informed decision that I feel will be the best for me.”
For one, although he is a current Florida resident, he is a complete novice when it comes to the South Florida area. After playing his sophomore season at Danville High up in Indiana, McLaughlin recently made the move to South Florida in late May and enrolled at Marjory Stoneman Douglas in Parkland.
“My sophomore season at Danville in Indiana went really well, I was our starting defensive end and last year was when I was able to make the adjustment from JV to Varsity and got used to the increase in the speed of the game,” McLaughlin said. “We had a relatively inexperienced team, but it was a great season and we got after it day after day at practice.”
The 6-8, 255 pound defensive end and tight end was still looking for his first college offer, but, in early June, he nabbed a scholarship in an unexpected way. While he was attending a Manny Diaz camp and participating in 7-on-7 play as a tight end with his team, OL coach Butch Barry pulled him aside and asked him to workout with the offensive linemen in OL/DL drills. Soon after, he had an offer from the Hurricanes as an offensive lineman.
“When I initially got my offer, it was just kind of hard to comprehend because of how I went from a tight end with no looks in Indiana to receiving an offer for a position I’ve never played from one of the most elite schools in the nation,” McLaughlin said. “I found out after the camp when coach Barry pulled me aside for some individual drills and had a conversation with me afterwards.”
Now that the initial groundwork was beginning to be laid in McLaughlin’s relationship with UM, it didn’t take long for him to decide he was ready to build upon that foundation. Two weeks after his offer, McLaughlin returned to Miami’s campus for the Canes’ premier recruiting event, Paradise Camp.
“I really enjoyed Paradise Camp, it was a unique opportunity to learn from some of the best to play the game,” McLaughlin said. “I loved the competition and I feel like I showed Coach Barry that I had been working hard to improve at my new position… The transition to offensive line has gone very well, I feel like I’m improving every day at practice.”
McLaughlin has now gotten a chance to be coached up by Barry twice in the past two months, and he is already noticing the attention to detail and infectious attitude that the Miami OL coach brings to the field. As a long and athletic talent with room to grow into his frame, McLaughlin perfectly fits the mold of offensive tackle that Barry is targeting to bring into the program.
“When it comes to coach Barry’s coaching, the thing that stands out to me is his energy,” McLaughlin said. “He’s very involved in every single drill and is very enthusiastic about his job.”
Earlier this week during Monday’s fall camp session in Coral Gables, McLaughlin made his third trip to campus and got to witness firsthand how UM and coach Barry conduct a college practice on the offensive line.
“When I was watching Miami’s practice this week, I got a glimpse of what high-level college football is like behind the scenes, and I love how everyone was working hard and not taking any plays off,” he said.
Now that he’s had multiple opportunities to get a feel for the program, what are McLaughlin’s impressions of Miami so far?
“I love the atmosphere at Miami,” McLaughlin said. “All the coaches are very involved during practice, everything’s moving very efficiently, and everybody’s getting after it. I really appreciate the potential that coach Barry sees in me, so Miami is definitely high on my list… So far, what Miami has shown me really has me feeling good about this opportunity.”
While he does not have any other visits scheduled at the moment, McLaughlin is returning from North Florida visits to both UF and FSU last weekend. McLaughlin also recently received his second offer from the Seminoles.
With McLaughlin’s main emphasis on improving his game, recruiting will be on the back burner as he prepares to start his career at right tackle for Stoneman Douglas in 2019. He is in no rush to make a quick decision, and plans to let the recruiting process play out before locking in with a program.
“I do not have a decision timetable right now, my current focus is my upcoming junior season,” McLaughlin said. “And as far as a commitment goes, when I commit to a school, I don’t want to become one of the athletes that decommits. So, until then, I’m going to keep my options open so I will be able to make a fully informed decision that I feel will be the best for me.”
