James Laurinaitis | Linebackers Coach

James Laurinaitis

Title:
Linebackers Coach

Three-time Ohio State Buckeyes All-American James Laurinaitis was named OSU’s linebackers coach in February 2024 by head coach Ryan Day, and in just three seasons on staff — one as a graduate student coach and two as the full-time linebackers coach — his impact has been undeniable.

In 2024, Laurinaitis was part of a defensive staff that helped lead Ohio State to a national championship and a No. 1 national ranking in both total defense and scoring defense. His linebacker room was anchored by senior captain and Block O recipient Cody Simon, who was later selected in the fourth round of the NFL Draft by the Arizona Cardinals. He followed that with a historic 2025 season, coaching starting linebackers Sonny Styles and Arvell Reese to first-team All-America honors, making them the first linebacker tandem in Ohio State history to earn that distinction in the same season. Reese also earned Big Ten Linebacker of the Year honors, while Ohio State’s defense again finished among the nation’s best under Laurinaitis and the rest of the staff.

Laurinaitis spent the 2023 season with the Buckeyes as a graduate student coach where he helped mentor a veteran linebacker group that produced Ohio State’s first Big Ten Linebacker of the Year in Tommy Eichenberg. He began his coaching career in 2022 as a graduate assistant at Notre Dame.

A Buckeye legend, he is one of only eight three-time All-Americans in Ohio State history and the program’s most recent. He played on four Big Ten championship teams, helped lead Ohio State to two BCS national championship game appearances and went 4-0 against Michigan during his playing career.

After being selected in the second round (35th overall) in 2009 NFL Draft, Laurinaitis had an eight-year NFL career as he spent seven seasons with the St. Louis Rams from 2009-15 before finishing with the New Orleans Saints in 2016. He started every regular-season game of his NFL career until his final year and retired with the most tackles in Rams franchise history.

In January 2025, Laurinaitis was announced as part of the latest class elected to the College Football Hall of Fame, becoming the 29th former Buckeye player to receive the honor. He graduated from Ohio State in 2009 with a degree in communications and is married to Shelly, also an Ohio State graduate. The couple has three young daughters — London, Hayden and Remi — and a son, Maverick.

Ohio State (2023-Present)
In his first three seasons at Ohio State, Laurinaitis helped guide the Buckeyes to sustained defensive success, highlighted by a national championship in 2024 and a return to the College Football Playoff in 2025.

2023:
- Laurinaitis transitioned into his alma mater as a graduate assistant on the defensive staff, working primarily with the linebackers. Ohio State finished the season 11-2 and ranked No. 7 in the final AP poll after winning its first 11 games of the year. The Buckeyes’ regular season included ranked wins over No. 9 Notre Dame and No. 7 Penn State, and they closed the year with a New Year’s Six appearance in the Cotton Bowl in Dallas.
- Laurinaitis was part of a defensive staff that was perhaps the best in the country as the Buckeyes ranked first in passing defense, third in total defense, second in scoring defense and seventh in rushing defense. Individually, he mentored linebacker Tommy Eichenberg who was earned First Team All-Big Ten and Second Team All-America honors by multiple outlets and he won the Big Ten Butkus-Fitzgerald Linebacker of the Year award – a first in Ohio State University history.
2024:
- In his first season as a position coach, Laurinaitis played a key role in Ohio State’s 14-2 season and College Football Playoff national championship run – the first of the 12-team era. The Buckeyes finished the season ranked No. 1 nationally in scoring defense (12.9 points allowed per game) and No. 1 in total defense (254.6 yards allowed per game) under defensive coordinator Jim Knowles.
- Individually, he mentored Cody Simon to the best season of his Ohio State career as he was a team captain and Block “O” jersey recipient, led the Buckeyes with 112 tackles, and earned first-team All-Big Ten honors, Rose Bowl Defensive MVP, and CFP National Championship Game Defensive MVP recognition. In the College Football Playoff, Simon led the defense with 38 tackles across four games, including a career-high-tying 12 against Tennessee, 11 against Oregon, seven against Texas and eight against Notre Dame.
- Simon was selected in the fourth round of the 2025 NFL Draft by the Arizona Cardinals.
2025:
- Laurinaitis developed a historic linebacker's room in his second season working as the position coach with that room as Ohio State posted a 12-0 regular season and earned a second consecutive CFP berth.
- As a defensive unit under the coordination of Matt Patricia, Ohio State finished No. 1 nationally in total defense (219.1 yards allowed per game), No. 1 in passing defense (129.7 yards allowed per game) and No. 1 in scoring defense (9.3 points allowed per game). The last team to allow fewer points and yards per game in a season than the 2025 Buckeyes was the 2011 Alabama Crimson Tide. Ohio State also led the nation in opposing red-zone percentage (66.7 percent) and first downs allowed per game (13.1).
- Under Laurinaitis’ guidance, Styles and Reese formed one of the nation’s best linebacker tandems in 2025 and played a major role in Ohio State’s elite defense.
  - Reese capped his breakout season as a consensus All-American and the Big Ten Butkus-Fitzgerald Linebacker of the Year after posting 69 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, 6.5 sacks, five quarterback hurries and two pass breakups.
  - Styles earned first-team All-America honors after leading the Buckeyes with 82 tackles, including 46 solo stops, while adding 6.5 tackles for loss, an interception, three pass breakups and four quarterback hurries.
- Reese and Styles made history in the 2026 NFL Draft.
  - Reese was selected fifth overall by the Tennessee Titans, while Styles went seventh overall to the Washington Commanders, marking the first time Ohio State had two linebackers taken in the top 10 of the same draft.
  - Prior to their selections, Ohio State had not seen a linebacker drafted in the first round since Darron Lee went 20th overall in 2016, and Reese and Styles became the first pair of Ohio State linebackers to go in the first round since A.J. Hawk and Bobby Carpenter in 2006.

Notre Dame (2022)
A member of Marcus Freeman's first staff at Notre Dame, Laurinaitis served as a graduate assistant for the Fighting Irish in 2022. After starting that season 0-2, Notre Dame won nine of their next 11 games to finish the season, which included a memorable 35-14 win over No. 4 Clemson and a victory over South Carolina in the Gator Bowl. The Fighting Irish defense ranked 21st in total defense and 11th in rushing defense that season.

NFL Career Recap (2009-16)
After being selected in the second round (35th overall) in 2009 NFL Draft, Laurinaitis had an eight-year NFL career as he spent seven seasons with the St. Louis Rams from 2009-15 before finishing with the New Orleans Saints in 2016. He started every regular-season game of his NFL career until his final year, finishing with 852 tackles, the most in Rams franchise history.

With that, Laurinaitis made an immediate impact as a rookie, recording 120 tackles, two sacks, two interceptions and a forced fumble while starting all 16 games in 2009. He followed that with another strong run of production in St. Louis, including back-to-back seasons of 142 tackles in 2011 and 2012, and he remained one of the team’s most reliable defensive leaders throughout his time there. Over his NFL career, Laurinaitis totaled 869 tackles, 16.5 sacks, 10 interceptions, nine forced fumbles and 64 pass breakups in 117 games.

Ohio State Career Recap (2005-08)
A Buckeye legend, Laurinaitis is one of only eight three-time All-Americans in Ohio State history and the program’s most recent. He played on four Big Ten championship teams, helped lead Ohio State to two BCS national championship game appearances and went 4-0 against Michigan during his playing career.

His decorated Ohio State career included four major national awards, more than any other Buckeye defensive player. He won the Bronko Nagurski Award as the nation’s outstanding defensive player as a sophomore, the Butkus Award as the nation’s top linebacker as a junior, and became Ohio State’s first winner of both the Lott IMPACT Trophy and the Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award as a senior. He finished his career with 375 tackles, seventh-most in program history, while also earning Big Ten defensive player of the year honors in both 2007 and 2008.

In January 2025, Laurinaitis was announced as part of the latest class elected to the College Football Hall of Fame, becoming the 29th former Buckeye player to receive the honor.

Background
He graduated from Ohio State in 2009 with a degree in communications.

Family
He is married to Shelly, an Ohio State graduate. The couple has three young daughters — London, Hayden and Remi — and a son, Maverick.

FBS Postseason History

Season	School	Bowl Game	Opponent	Result
2025	Ohio State	Cotton Bowl	Miami	L, 24-14
2025	Ohio State	Big Ten Championship Game	Indiana	L, 13-10
2024	Ohio State	CFP Playoff National Championship	Notre Dame	W, 34-23
2024	Ohio State	Cotton Bowl	Texas	W, 28-14
2024	Ohio State	Rose Bowl	Oregon	W, 41-21
2024	Ohio State	CFP Playoff First Round	Tennessee	W, 42-17
2023	Ohio State	Cotton Bowl	Missouri	L, 14-3
2022	Notre Dame	Gator Bowl	South Carolina	W, 42-35