Linebackers Coach James Laurinaitis and the Linebackers Meet with the Media
8/6/2025 1:07:00 PM | Football
On how different Arvell Reese carries himself this year:
“I think he has a lot more confidence. Him, Sonny, Peyton, all three of those guys have a great rapport together. I view all three as starters, whether we are three backers or two backers, I think they are all starters and they ‘re all pushing each other in that way. I think he is just confident. Coach Patricia loves him, believes in him deeply, which I think has helped boost his confidence as well. We talked to many people on our D staff about Arvell in general, they probably would all use the word freak to describe him.”
On working with Matt Patricia:
“He’s so smart. The blessing that I had was when I worked for Al Golden at Notre Dame, Al worked with Matt at Detroit. Some of what Al did IS what Matt does, then you mix that in with what Jim did and there is so much that we did well last year, so anything that has been new or added, like some of the terms, I’ve spoken that language before. I’ve known Matt since he worked me out when he was with the Patriots. It must have been a bad workout because he didn’t draft me.”
On how he feels his skill set compliment Arvell and Sonny:
“I feel like I'm pretty confident in the box and I feel that lets them open up and do whatever they want to do. This fall camp I've gotten to do a lot of different things, and we're all playing different spots and stuff, so I'm just really excited for the season.”
On what he has seen from Sonny this offseason moving into a different role:
“He's really stepped up as our leader of the defense. Being in his room, I really get to see how he operates every day. He doesn't take a single rep off. He's not just the most vocal leader, but he also leads by example. He is one of the biggest, fastest, strongest dudes we have, but he's also the hardest working dude we have. He's never skipping out on recovery, watching films, literally everything. He represents what a Buckeye football player should be and just learning from him every day, it's helped me a ton.”
On playing for Coach James Laurinaitis and his emphasis on the Ohio State brotherhood:
"It's awesome having him because he really does understand it. I would say he understands it more than most guys, he was a captain and All-American here, also, the stuff he's doing every day. We're going through camp every day and he's posting a picture of every All-American linebacker we've had and we have to learn about him. It’s not just the brotherhood we have here but the past brotherhood. We learn a new All-American linebacker every week and we have to learn what he did for the Buckeyes and what he did in the league, stuff like that. I think it's helped a lot. He's having the young guys know the fight song and pop quizzing them, so it's great. We're having a lot of fun.”
On how different it is for him as a starter and his expectations:
“I'm expecting to fill the role kind of like what Cody did, so I am stepping up, getting more reps in, and I feel good.”
On what he has learned from playing next to Sonny Styles:
“I have learned a lot from Sonny and it's more off the field. How you prepare for games, how he prepares practice to practice, and how intentional he is, Sonny is a great person.”
On how it feels that a year ago he was making the transition to linebacker:
“Time flies by for sure. It feels just like yesterday. I was the starting nickel at Jordan Hancock and stuff, now I’m playing linebacker. I’m glad with where I’m at, I think everything happened for a reason.”
On how he has seen Arvell Reese grow:
“I would say mentally, just understanding the game. He’s always had the physical attributes, but him being able to understand the game, play fast and use those physical attributes. I think sometimes we don’t understand the game and it can kind of hold you back, you’re not able to show your true potential. He’s been having a great camp as well.”
On what it means to see Peyton Pierce get Iron Buckeye:
“It’s awesome, I was one of those people that voted for him to get. It's because he works hard, he does things right, he says the right things to his teammates, he knows how to encourage and things like that. He’s a high character guy.”
