McLaughlin's commitment to Stanford a critical win
Connor McLaughlin didn't need much time after visiting Stanford to commit to the Cardinal. Rivals' No. 168 overall recruit is a fast-rising tackle prospect out of Tampa whose profile blew up this spring with offers from top programs from coast to coast.
While the list of football options expanded McLaughlin never strayed from his long stated top priority to pick a top university that could provide him a great education.
McLaughlin admitted it's fair to say that before he visited Stanford his gut told him it was going to be tough to beat what he saw on The Farm. He tried to avoid having expectations before any of his visits, but Stanford has been on his mind for years with the help of one of its top rivals.
He grew up in a family "full of Notre Dame fans": "You think that they hate Stanford but they love it. I knew if they were raving about it then obviously it's a special place.
"I tried to stay neutral (before the visit), but I couldn't help it. It's such an awesome place. I knew it was going to be a great visit and I had really high expectations. It shattered those expectations."
McLaughlin loved the schedule for the junior day and said it resembled two-day official visits to other schools because of what it managed to fit into one day.
"It's not taking pictures for two hours and then see what you want to see. We had lunch with professors and that was probably the biggest thing that I noticed. I thought that was awesome to talk with amazing people with so many accomplishments.
You'd never know. You had to pry it out of them to say something cool about themselves because they're so humble. I knew that's the type of people I want to be around. The best part was that -- I love football, obviously -- but getting to talk to someone about something other than football that day was pretty nice. You're just a normal person to them. That's cool because they want you for something else, not just a football player."
McLaughlin has come a long way as a football player this spring. Several months after the end of his junior season coaches from across the country saw that McLaughlin had gotten bigger and better in a remarkably short period of time. Offers poured in from powerhouse programs from throughout the country.
McLaughlin never let it get to his head.
"I tried to be upfront with coaches and for the most part tell them that I'm not one of those guys who likes to be told how great they are. I try to make it about what my potential could be and not what I am right now."
McLaughlin found a kindred spirit in Stanford offensive line coach Kevin Carberry -- someone who doesn't easily show emotion, works hard, loves football and also cares about a lot more than what happens on the gridiron.
"He sees me getting a lot bigger and being able to play in space a lot better as I grow into my body. He sees me as a tackle where I can block someone straight up the field or I can pass set and take on a really athletic defensive end.
"I like that I can run block well. People expect me to be a good pass setting tackle. Our high school team runs a lot of power and it's nice to have that. I'm not a 300-pound high schooler. I'm not a Wisconsin tackle who is going to run block straight up. It's nice to work on power a lot and I think I've gotten good at getting after kids."
McLaughlin has set a high bar for himself to be a "great tackle" who can do everything asked of of a player of that position. Stanford sees a prospect who can team up with fellow 2020 offensive tackle commit Myles Hinton to secure the edges of the line for several years together.