Alabama has corrected many early-season concerns since conference play began. The offense has built an identity under quarterback Jalen Milroe and the defensive lapses have become less frequent. One subtle change that’s helped the Tide in its eight-game winning streak has come via its center Seth McLaughlin.

While the Tide sorted its quarterback battle in September, McLaughlin’s tendency for errant snaps put the offense in a bind and led to near turnovers, like when he snapped the ball over Milroe’s head after UA had the ball at the 1-yard line against Ole Miss. According to McLaughlin, a technique switch has led to more consistency.

“I went to the dead-ball snap. I think the inaccurate snaps have been cleaned up a little bit. That’s still a thing I’m trying to work on, just cleaning up the snaps in practice and in the game, just putting an emphasis on how important it is to get the ball in Milroe’s hands and let him go to work and do what he’s so good at,” McLaughlin explained on Monday.

Previously, McLaughlin deployed a traditional “spiral snap” or grabbing the ball by the laces before firing it backward. The “dead snap” means McLaughlin is palming the ball and flipping it to the quarterback in shotgun formation.

According to Pro Football Focus, McLaughlin’s best three games of the season have come against Tennessee, LSU and Kentucky. That’s coincided with overall growth from the offensive line, which has found stability with Kadyn Proctor at left tackle and Jaeden Roberts at right guard. McLaughlin has been a staple for the last two-plus seasons after making his first start in the 2021 SEC title game against Georgia.

“I remember thinking back to high school and how fast those four years flew by, and then I got here and thought, ‘This will feel a little bit longer. The seasons are longer. The years are longer, it feels back.’ As I look back, with almost four years coming to an end, it’s pretty crazy. Playing at Alabama has been an incredible blessing for me, just personally and football-wise. A lot of hard work has gone into it. It’s the biggest blessing that I’ve ever had.

“I’m super thankful for Coach Saban believing in an undersized, 6-3, 260-pound center from Buford, Georgia, all those years ago. Coming in as the lowest-ranked recruit in the class, it’s meant a lot to me to put the work in and show people that through hard work, you can play here and play at a high level.”

McLaughlin redshirted in 2020. When asked if he is considering using his remaining years of eligibility, McLaughlin said he’s focused on the remainder of this season and that he doesn’t know “what the future holds.” McLaughlin will graduate with a master’s degree in sports hospitality management in December.

Nick Alvarez is a reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @nick_a_alvarez or email him at [email protected].