Tag: James Laurinaitis

Ohio State football offers in-state 2025 linebacker

The Bucks didn’t have to go far for this offer #GoBucks

The bye week has put a bit of fire under the [autotag]Ohio State football[/autotag] coaching staff when it comes to recruiting.

They were on the road last week visiting prospects, making evaluations on who deserves a scholarship offer, and who they need to see more one. Archbishop Hoban has a player who the Buckeye staff didn’t need to see anymore of, linebacker [autotag]Eli Lee[/autotag].

The class of 2025 prospect was offered on Wednesday after a conversation with defensive coordinator [autotag]Jim Knowles[/autotag] and assistant linebackers coach, [autotag]James Laurinaitis[/autotag].

Lee current isn’t ranked in his class, but this offer should help with that in the future.

At the current moment, the Buckeyes have just one commit in the 2025 class, quarterback Tavien St. Clair.

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Notre Dame football: Marcus Freeman’s NCAA video game ratings

Besides Notre Dame who was your go-to team in the NCAA Football video game?

Full disclosure, I was born the same month of Marcus Freeman. While he is the head coach at Notre Dame, traveling the world in private jets and dining at the White House, I sit here writing about all of it.

I may have other responsibilities, but for effect let’s only cite that one.

Being the same age as Freeman I can assume part of our college experiences were at least somewhat the same.  Being 35 years old today means being in college during what was the peak of the old NCAA Football video game by EA Sports. My college, Division III powerhouse North Central College, unfortunately wasn’t in the game (Kam Kniss would have been a 99 if they were) but Ohio State obviously was.

News came out this week that a year from now the game will be re-released with players getting compensated.  It’ll be the first new game since the NCAA Football ’14 (based on the 2013 season) edition.

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So back to Freeman.  Just how good did the video game say Freeman was as a player entering his senior year?

NCAA Football ’09 (which was based on the 2008 season) rated Marcus Freeman aka ROLB No. 1 as his name was in the game, the following:

Overall: 96
Speed: 87
Strength: 80
Agility: 86
Acceleration: 92
Awareness: 84

The 96 overall clearly screams star, but that 84 for awareness should be concerning for a future head coach.  Now I’m wondering what Tommy Rees’ awareness was in the game and if at times it randomly dipped to 40 (said in sarcasm font).

If you’re curious, Freeman’s 96 overall wasn’t even the best for a linebacker on Ohio State that year. James Laurinaitis was one of two players to get a 99-overall ranking in the game, joining Tim Tebow.

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Notre Dame football: 2023 coaching staff tracker

More movement on June 20…

Although it was anticipated to be a much slower off-season in terms of news for Notre Dame after Marcus Freeman’s first full year on the job, plenty of changes to the coaching staff have occurred.  It started with a famed graduate assistant returning to the Big Ten university he starred at as a player and quickly snowballed into a national search for a new offensive coordinator and much more.

As we count down the days until Notre Dame football officially gets going this fall, we look back at the departures and arrivals to Notre Dame’s coaching staff.

 

Two former Ohio State Buckeyes on College Football Hall of Fame ballot

The College Football Hall of Fame has listed its finalist and includes two former Buckeyes. #GoBucks

The College Football Hall of Fame has announced its finalist for the 2024 Hall of Fame class. Among the 78 players to make the cut are two former Buckeyes, James Laurinaitis, and Chris Ward.

Laurinaitis was a three-time first-team All-American while starring in Scarlet and Gray in the mid-2000s. He was a unanimous selection in 2007. The OSU linebacker helped lead the Bucks to four Big Ten conference championships and back-to-back appearances in the BCS national championship game. Laurinaitis earned Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year twice and also won the Bronco Nagurski trophy in 2006 and the Butkus Award in 2007. He finished his Ohio State career with 375 tackles, including 13 sacks and 9 interceptions.

Chris Ward suited up for the Buckeyes in the mid-1970s on the offensive line. Ward earned three all-conference selections and was a two-time All-American selection in 1976 and unanimous in 1977. Ward was part of the line that opened holes for two-time Heisman winner Archie Griffin and helped lead the Buckeyes to at least a share of four Big Ten championships.

Voters have until June 30 to cast their ballots. Inductees will be announced early next year with the induction ceremony taking place on December 10, 2024.

This is the fifth time James Laurinaitis has been on the ballot and the sixth time for Chris Ward.

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College football: Former Notre Dame starter transfers to Ohio State

He’ll be reuniting with his brother there, too.

When Notre Dame hosts Ohio State in late September the connections between the two programs will run deep. [autotag]Marcus Freeman[/autotag] obviously wore scarlet and gray in college and now heads the Fighting Irish football program.  Meanwhile [autotag]James Laurinaitis[/autotag] recently went from being a graduate assistant at Notre Dame to the same post under Ryan Day at Ohio State.

Add another to the mix as former Notre Dame wide receiver [autotag]Lorenzo Styles[/autotag], Jr. has announced his next home – none other than Ohio State.  Styles entered the transfer portal the day before Notre Dame’s spring game and announced his decision this weekend.  At Ohio State he’ll be teammates with his younger brother [autotag]Sonny Styles[/autotag] who plays in the Buckeyes secondary.

Styles, Lorenzo that is, is one of 14 players from Notre Dame’s 2021 recruiting class that is no longer with the program.  He has stated he wants to make the transition to defensive back which will probably be a good idea if he wants to see much of the field as nobody has recruited and developed the receiver position better than Ohio State in recent years.

Notre Dame is set to host Ohio State on Sept. 23.

See some of the best photos of Styles during his time at Notre Dame below.

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Who does Notre Dame turn to at linebacker now that a top target is off the market

Who do you think the Irish should turn their attention to?

If you didn’t know, Texas linebacker [autotag]Payton Pierce[/autotag] did not select [autotag]Notre Dame[/autotag], he chose Ohio State, and you have to wonder how much of an impact [autotag]James Laurinaitis[/autotag] had.

The former Irish grad assistant was the leader behind Pierce’s recruitment, and once Laurinaitis left for his alma mater, he seemingly took the middle linebacker with him.

Unfortunately, this leaves the Irish without a commit at the position and a reordering of their recruiting board. It’s not bare, and Notre Dame has more than a few offers out to other linebackers. Find out who they could turn their focus to now that Pierce is off the board.

(All rankings are via the 247Sports composite.)

Notre Dame linebacker target set to announce commitment tonight

The Irish will have a hat on the table

[autotag]Notre Dame[/autotag] has a stellar start to their 2024 recruiting class and will be adding more big time prospects to the current 9 player class.

One of those targets is Texas linebacker [autotag]Payton Pierce[/autotag]. The 6-foot, 1-inch and 225 pound ‘backer is rated as the 15th best at his position and 151st overall player according to the 247Sports composite rankings will make his decision tonight.

At one point during his recruitment, it looked like Pierce would end up wearing Blue and Gold but a key recruiter, [autotag]James Laurinaitis[/autotag], left Notre Dame to take a position at his alma mater, Ohio State.

The relationship between the two continued and at the current moment, all signs point to Pierce committing to the Buckeyes later tonight.

Although the Irish have their hat on the table, don’t expect him to select Notre Dame later tonight. There are still plenty of big time linebacker targets still considering the Irish.

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Watch: James Laurinaitis working with the Ohio State linebackers

Lil Animal already putting in work with the linebackers #GoBucks

Typically when a graduate assistant is hired, it’s not big news, but that wasn’t the case with [autotag]Ohio State[/autotag] and [autotag]James Laurinaitis[/autotag].

The former three-time Buckeye All-American, plus Nagurski, Butkus, and Jack Lambert Trophy winner made big headlines when he was hired away from Notre Dame to come back home.

Although he isn’t a full-position coach, the impact that Laurinaitis will have on the group is large, considering his resume. It hasn’t taken him long to make an impact, especially on the recruiting trail.

Even though he didn’t have a hand in recruiting any of the current linebackers, it seems like he has meshed well with them. Just check out the clip below of Laurinaitis working with his new ‘backers group.

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Former Ohio State stars, including one Heisman winner, hired onto same high school football team

Three former Buckeyes on the same high school coaching staff is a dangerous thing. #GoBucks

There is life after football and the Ohio State football program is well aware of that. When [autotag]Urban Meyer[/autotag] was hired, he brought in Real Life Wednesdays, a program that brought professionals to the Woody Hayes Athletic Center from across different professions to prepare Buckeyes for their post-playing careers.

For some, playing ends but life with football doesn’t. Just look at the current staff with offensive coordinator Brian Hartline and graduate assistant James Laurinaitis, as prime examples.

Not every former Buckeye gets their start at the collegiate level though. Some have to work their way up the ladder. That is the case for [autotag]Chase Farris[/autotag], [autotag]Troy Smith[/autotag] and [autotag]Doran Grant[/autotag]. The three former OSU players are joining forces at Elyria Catholic High School in Elyria, Ohio.

Farris is the lead as the head coach with Smith — the 2006 Heisman Trophy winner — as his associate head coach. Grant is also on the staff as an assistant coach along with being the head of strength and conditioning.

With so much football experience, the Elyria Catholic players are in good hands. Look for some bigger crowds cheering on the Panthers this fall.

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James Laurinaitis releases statement on joining Ohio State football coaching staff

Someone seems to be happy to be home. #GoBucks

One of the best linebackers to ever put on the scarlet and gray is back on the sidelines at Ohio State. Three-time All-American James Laurinaitis was hired by Ryan Day as a graduate assistant to work with the linebackers (of course!).

Day lured him away from another former Buckeye linebacker, Marcus Freeman, who is now the head coach of Notre Dame. You have to think Laurinaitis was happy for the opportunity one of his friends provided, but it was probably a pretty quick answer to be back with the program he gave his blood, sweat and tears for.

We heard from Day after the hire was announced, but Laurinaitis released a statement through his Twitter account shortly after the news made the rounds. To say he was eager, excited and grateful would probably be an understatement.

“I am honored and thrilled to return to this wonderful and historic school that is my alma mater,” Laurinaits said in a statement. “I look forward to developing young men in the program that provided so much for me and my development as a player both on and off the field.”

It was a simple and concise statement, but one that you can bet is heartfelt. Something tells me this is just the beginning of a career that has a ton of potential for one of the most beloved linebackers in Ohio State football history.

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