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LGHL Hangout in the Holy Land Podcast: A couple Buckeyes in the NFL gamble and lose, while others are remembered as heroes
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Hangout in the Holy Land Podcast: A couple Buckeyes in the NFL gamble and lose, while others are remembered as heroes
Josh Dooley via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Bryan Lynn/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
This week, Josh and Chuck take a look at recent gambling suspensions dished out by the NFL, before switching their attention to Buckeye Heroes and heroic moments.
The latest episode of Land-Grant Holy Land’s flagship podcast is here! Join LGHL’s Josh Dooley and Chuck Holmes as they cover Ohio State football, basketball, recruiting, and much, much more! Come for the hot takes, stay for the warm ones.
Listen to the episode and subscribe:
On this episode of Hangout in the Holy Land, Josh and Chuck discuss recent gambling suspensions dished out by the NFL, a few of which affected former Ohio State Buckeyes. Is the league acting in a hypocritical manner? Or are players ignoring fair, established rules? Both guys agree that it doesn't really matter what is fair or unfair, because one group holds disciplinary power.
The hosts then catch you up on some recent recruiting news, including a Buckeye bump for at least one future OSU quarterback.
And it would not be a summer episode without at least some theme-week-related conversation. LGHL’s theme this week is Buckeye Heroes, perfectly timed around the Fourth of July! The guys share their favorite underrated Buckeye Heroes, as well as a few heroic moments.
Plus, a few questions sent in by you, the listener(s).
Make sure to like, rate, review, and subscribe to the podcast! And as always, Go Bucks!
Connect with the pod
Twitter: @HolyLandPod
Connect with Josh Dooley
Twitter: @jdooleybuckeye
Connect with Chuck Holmes
Twitter: @ctholmes3
Continue reading...
Josh Dooley via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Bryan Lynn/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
This week, Josh and Chuck take a look at recent gambling suspensions dished out by the NFL, before switching their attention to Buckeye Heroes and heroic moments.
The latest episode of Land-Grant Holy Land’s flagship podcast is here! Join LGHL’s Josh Dooley and Chuck Holmes as they cover Ohio State football, basketball, recruiting, and much, much more! Come for the hot takes, stay for the warm ones.
Listen to the episode and subscribe:
Subscribe: RSS | Apple | Spotify | Stitcher | Google Podcasts | iHeart Radio
On this episode of Hangout in the Holy Land, Josh and Chuck discuss recent gambling suspensions dished out by the NFL, a few of which affected former Ohio State Buckeyes. Is the league acting in a hypocritical manner? Or are players ignoring fair, established rules? Both guys agree that it doesn't really matter what is fair or unfair, because one group holds disciplinary power.
The hosts then catch you up on some recent recruiting news, including a Buckeye bump for at least one future OSU quarterback.
And it would not be a summer episode without at least some theme-week-related conversation. LGHL’s theme this week is Buckeye Heroes, perfectly timed around the Fourth of July! The guys share their favorite underrated Buckeye Heroes, as well as a few heroic moments.
Plus, a few questions sent in by you, the listener(s).
Make sure to like, rate, review, and subscribe to the podcast! And as always, Go Bucks!
Connect with the pod
Twitter: @HolyLandPod
Connect with Josh Dooley
Twitter: @jdooleybuckeye
Connect with Chuck Holmes
Twitter: @ctholmes3
Continue reading...
LGHL Buckeye Heroes: Chris Olave’s legacy serves as a reminder that stars don’t define the recruit
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- 0 Replies
Buckeye Heroes: Chris Olave’s legacy serves as a reminder that stars don’t define the recruit
Chris Renne via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images
Whether it was in No. 17 or No. 2, Chris Olave defined an offensive generation at Ohio State.
From now until preseason camp starts in August, Land-Grant Holy Land will be writing articles around a different theme every week. This week is all about Ohio State heroes. Whether they are the biggest names in Buckeye athletic history, or underappreciated icons; perhaps even players who made major impacts off the field. You can catch up on all of the Theme Week content here and all of our ”Buckeye Heroes” articles here.
In the modern era of college football, recruiting rankings hold a highly regarded place in the minds of fans. The college football recruiting world is built on a rating system: five-stars are the best of the best, and if you have them your team will win a lot of games. In a world where stars matter – sometimes too much – there are players who rise above any preordained rankings.
Those players are the ones who come to a place like Ohio State. They aren’t talked about by fans, but they quietly grind in the shadows of the Woody Hayes Athletic center vying their time. The thing about recruiting rankings — they don’t matter once the player is inside the building. Everybody can play football at programs like Ohio State, that is why it is so special when one of the more unheralded players in any class steps up.
In my time at Ohio State (2017-2019), there was one player who showed up around the same time. That player was 247sports Composite 399th ranked player, Chris Olave from Mission Hills High School in San Marcos, Calif. Coming into a room with players like Johnnie Dixon, Terry McLaurin, Austin Mack, Parris Campbell, and K.J. Hill, there were quite a few players who made huge plays for the Buckeyes. The floor was set incredibly high with that group, but in the following classes until Olave came to school, there were some misses for a multitude of reasons.
Trevon Grimes was the highest ranked receiver the Buckeyes landed, but he transferred after one year in the program. Other elite recruit Kamryn Babb had an injury-riddled career, and the others in those classes proceeding the 2018 group fell a bit short in regards to the level of recruit the Buckeyes were obtaining. That made the importance of a fateful day in San Diego County that much more important.
Olave is the reason the Ohio State receiver room began to build the reputation it did, and all the five-stars the Buckeyes have can be traced back to a three-star recruit from California.
How he got to Ohio State
The main history here is pretty straight forward. Ohio State still had some room in their recruiting class, and the Buckeyes were still searching for a quarterback who could fit into Ryan Day’s system as Ohio State began their offensive evolution. This took Ryan Day to Mission Hills High to recruit their quarterback, Jack Tuttle — the No. 7 Pro Style quarterback in the country for the 2018 class.
At the time of his recruitment, Mission Hills coach Chris Hauser was trying to sell Olave to programs after missing his junior year in high school. Without any PAC-12 offers from California schools, there was no reason Ohio State would have had their eyes on a player who was ineligible and had no junior tape. The only reason Olave was recruited by Ohio State is because he caught the eye of the Buckeye staff when they were watching someone else.
Olave only had offers from the Boston College, Washington State, and Boise State before Ohio State made their offer. Michigan followed next and then Tennessee, after that he finally received two offers from local schools in UCLA and USC. The lateness of the California offers opened up the door for Ohio State, and the Buckeyes sent Ryan Day to meet with him twice to lock up the commitment according to 247Sports.
All this for a three-star recruit, but the few times rankings are wrong, it is usually due to outstanding circumstances. For the Buckeyes, this was a huge win, and Olave went on to set the tone for the receiver room immediately.
The illustrious career of the California kid
Olave came to Ohio State under the radar, but immediately began to make a name for himself as a player who was standing out in Fall Camp. Olave was the sixth player to lose his black stripe on campus, he was also the lowest-ranked recruit and second offensive player to shed the stripe in the 2018 class. After that came the history we were all familiar with, as a legend was born.
To begin the 2018 season, Olave found the field sparingly mostly in mop up duty, but in all the pressers he was routinely mentioned as the player on offense from the 2018 class standing out. This all culminated into one of the best ends to a freshman season of all time. Olave recorded two catches against Michigan for 48 yards and two touchdowns. Those two touchdowns opened the scoring for the Buckeyes in a 62-39 route over the Wolverines. He also blocked a punt that led to another score, highlighting his versatility.
He followed up that iconic debut performance with five catches and a touchdown in the Big Ten Championship game against Northwestern. The reputations for a big game player was born, and this was the first step in Olave’s legend — his first step in becoming a Buckeye hero. This was continued the following year when the kid from California truly broke out.
Olave entered his sophomore year with high expectations; not the regular expectations you’d expect from a three-star recruit. After his coming out party against that Team Up North and in the Big Ten Championship game, Olave was expected to lead the way in the explosive aspect of the offense.
That is exactly what he did, averaging 17.5 yards per catch on 48 catches, Olave led the Buckeyes in yards with 840 and receiving touchdowns with 12. Olave had the same success in big moments, and was leading the way for the Buckeyes again as they approached the college football playoff. Despite scoring in 10 out of 14 games, Olave’s sophomore year will be remembered for him turning the wrong way against Clemson.
Olave did not let this hold him back, and in a battle of resiliency through the COVID-19 pandemic, the Californian showed why he transcended his recruiting ranking. As an unquestioned leader on the offensive side of the ball, Olave scored in five out of seven games, going for over 100 yards in five games as well. He exalted his revenge against Clemson, scoring two touchdowns and the dagger to put the Tigers to bed.
This was not his end though, and this is where he went from a hero to an all-time legend in the eyes of the Buckeye faithful. Looking at his career, there was not a smoother or more consistent wide receiver that comes to mind in recent memory.
Why he is a Buckeye hero like no other
When it comes to recruiting rankings, players meet expectations to those numbers at quite a high clip. In those rare instances where a player completely transcends his initial ranking, it winds up in a place of folklore among fans. This is exactly how Chris Olave’s career played out.
From an unlikely beginning at Ohio State given his bizarre recruiting path to Columbus, came an unlikely program centerpiece. From the catches against Michigan to start his career, the dagger against Clemson, and many other moments sprinkled in between, a legend was truly born.
What makes him a true Buckeye Hero — and this is not something to hold all players to — he chose to come back for his senior season in hopes of winning a national championship. Foregoing the draft was a risky decision. He was a projected first round pick, but that projection was not a guarantee. So he opted to return, he provided a safety net for C.J. Stroud in year one and set the tone for the rest of the receivers in the room young and old.
That quiet leadership brought out the best in Garrett Wilson, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, and set the standard for the young guys following him. If not for the level and development of Olave, there might not be a Marvin Harrison Jr., there might not be Emeka Egbuka, and there might not be the next recruits in line trying to make their name at Ohio State.
Olave brought a quiet swagger to Ohio State. His legacy lives on through the no nonsense approach to approving every day. He truly embodied every aspect of what it took to become an all-time great receiver at Ohio State. This resulted in him getting drafted in the first round, and the Buckeyes setting the standard for having the best damn receivers in the land.
Of all the Buckeye heroes, Olave may be a little unheralded due to the recency of his career, but as his record setting legacy lives on, he outshined his recruiting ranking. When it was all said and done at Ohio State, the kid from San Marcos, Calif. truly embodied what it meant to be a Buckeye.
Continue reading...
Chris Renne via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images
Whether it was in No. 17 or No. 2, Chris Olave defined an offensive generation at Ohio State.
From now until preseason camp starts in August, Land-Grant Holy Land will be writing articles around a different theme every week. This week is all about Ohio State heroes. Whether they are the biggest names in Buckeye athletic history, or underappreciated icons; perhaps even players who made major impacts off the field. You can catch up on all of the Theme Week content here and all of our ”Buckeye Heroes” articles here.
In the modern era of college football, recruiting rankings hold a highly regarded place in the minds of fans. The college football recruiting world is built on a rating system: five-stars are the best of the best, and if you have them your team will win a lot of games. In a world where stars matter – sometimes too much – there are players who rise above any preordained rankings.
Those players are the ones who come to a place like Ohio State. They aren’t talked about by fans, but they quietly grind in the shadows of the Woody Hayes Athletic center vying their time. The thing about recruiting rankings — they don’t matter once the player is inside the building. Everybody can play football at programs like Ohio State, that is why it is so special when one of the more unheralded players in any class steps up.
In my time at Ohio State (2017-2019), there was one player who showed up around the same time. That player was 247sports Composite 399th ranked player, Chris Olave from Mission Hills High School in San Marcos, Calif. Coming into a room with players like Johnnie Dixon, Terry McLaurin, Austin Mack, Parris Campbell, and K.J. Hill, there were quite a few players who made huge plays for the Buckeyes. The floor was set incredibly high with that group, but in the following classes until Olave came to school, there were some misses for a multitude of reasons.
Trevon Grimes was the highest ranked receiver the Buckeyes landed, but he transferred after one year in the program. Other elite recruit Kamryn Babb had an injury-riddled career, and the others in those classes proceeding the 2018 group fell a bit short in regards to the level of recruit the Buckeyes were obtaining. That made the importance of a fateful day in San Diego County that much more important.
Olave is the reason the Ohio State receiver room began to build the reputation it did, and all the five-stars the Buckeyes have can be traced back to a three-star recruit from California.
How he got to Ohio State
The main history here is pretty straight forward. Ohio State still had some room in their recruiting class, and the Buckeyes were still searching for a quarterback who could fit into Ryan Day’s system as Ohio State began their offensive evolution. This took Ryan Day to Mission Hills High to recruit their quarterback, Jack Tuttle — the No. 7 Pro Style quarterback in the country for the 2018 class.
At the time of his recruitment, Mission Hills coach Chris Hauser was trying to sell Olave to programs after missing his junior year in high school. Without any PAC-12 offers from California schools, there was no reason Ohio State would have had their eyes on a player who was ineligible and had no junior tape. The only reason Olave was recruited by Ohio State is because he caught the eye of the Buckeye staff when they were watching someone else.
Olave only had offers from the Boston College, Washington State, and Boise State before Ohio State made their offer. Michigan followed next and then Tennessee, after that he finally received two offers from local schools in UCLA and USC. The lateness of the California offers opened up the door for Ohio State, and the Buckeyes sent Ryan Day to meet with him twice to lock up the commitment according to 247Sports.
All this for a three-star recruit, but the few times rankings are wrong, it is usually due to outstanding circumstances. For the Buckeyes, this was a huge win, and Olave went on to set the tone for the receiver room immediately.
The illustrious career of the California kid
Olave came to Ohio State under the radar, but immediately began to make a name for himself as a player who was standing out in Fall Camp. Olave was the sixth player to lose his black stripe on campus, he was also the lowest-ranked recruit and second offensive player to shed the stripe in the 2018 class. After that came the history we were all familiar with, as a legend was born.
To begin the 2018 season, Olave found the field sparingly mostly in mop up duty, but in all the pressers he was routinely mentioned as the player on offense from the 2018 class standing out. This all culminated into one of the best ends to a freshman season of all time. Olave recorded two catches against Michigan for 48 yards and two touchdowns. Those two touchdowns opened the scoring for the Buckeyes in a 62-39 route over the Wolverines. He also blocked a punt that led to another score, highlighting his versatility.
He followed up that iconic debut performance with five catches and a touchdown in the Big Ten Championship game against Northwestern. The reputations for a big game player was born, and this was the first step in Olave’s legend — his first step in becoming a Buckeye hero. This was continued the following year when the kid from California truly broke out.
Olave entered his sophomore year with high expectations; not the regular expectations you’d expect from a three-star recruit. After his coming out party against that Team Up North and in the Big Ten Championship game, Olave was expected to lead the way in the explosive aspect of the offense.
That is exactly what he did, averaging 17.5 yards per catch on 48 catches, Olave led the Buckeyes in yards with 840 and receiving touchdowns with 12. Olave had the same success in big moments, and was leading the way for the Buckeyes again as they approached the college football playoff. Despite scoring in 10 out of 14 games, Olave’s sophomore year will be remembered for him turning the wrong way against Clemson.
Olave did not let this hold him back, and in a battle of resiliency through the COVID-19 pandemic, the Californian showed why he transcended his recruiting ranking. As an unquestioned leader on the offensive side of the ball, Olave scored in five out of seven games, going for over 100 yards in five games as well. He exalted his revenge against Clemson, scoring two touchdowns and the dagger to put the Tigers to bed.
This was not his end though, and this is where he went from a hero to an all-time legend in the eyes of the Buckeye faithful. Looking at his career, there was not a smoother or more consistent wide receiver that comes to mind in recent memory.
Why he is a Buckeye hero like no other
When it comes to recruiting rankings, players meet expectations to those numbers at quite a high clip. In those rare instances where a player completely transcends his initial ranking, it winds up in a place of folklore among fans. This is exactly how Chris Olave’s career played out.
From an unlikely beginning at Ohio State given his bizarre recruiting path to Columbus, came an unlikely program centerpiece. From the catches against Michigan to start his career, the dagger against Clemson, and many other moments sprinkled in between, a legend was truly born.
What makes him a true Buckeye Hero — and this is not something to hold all players to — he chose to come back for his senior season in hopes of winning a national championship. Foregoing the draft was a risky decision. He was a projected first round pick, but that projection was not a guarantee. So he opted to return, he provided a safety net for C.J. Stroud in year one and set the tone for the rest of the receivers in the room young and old.
That quiet leadership brought out the best in Garrett Wilson, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, and set the standard for the young guys following him. If not for the level and development of Olave, there might not be a Marvin Harrison Jr., there might not be Emeka Egbuka, and there might not be the next recruits in line trying to make their name at Ohio State.
Olave brought a quiet swagger to Ohio State. His legacy lives on through the no nonsense approach to approving every day. He truly embodied every aspect of what it took to become an all-time great receiver at Ohio State. This resulted in him getting drafted in the first round, and the Buckeyes setting the standard for having the best damn receivers in the land.
Of all the Buckeye heroes, Olave may be a little unheralded due to the recency of his career, but as his record setting legacy lives on, he outshined his recruiting ranking. When it was all said and done at Ohio State, the kid from San Marcos, Calif. truly embodied what it meant to be a Buckeye.
Continue reading...
LGHL Buckeye Heroes: The Golden Age of Linebackers
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- 0 Replies
Buckeye Heroes: The Golden Age of Linebackers
JordanW330 via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images
For a decade Ohio State was linebacker university with three all-world linebackers patrolling the sidelines.
From now until preseason camp starts in August, Land-Grant Holy Land will be writing articles around a different theme every week. This week is all about Ohio State heroes. Whether they are the biggest names in Buckeye athletic history or underappreciated icons; perhaps even players who made major impacts off the field. You can catch up on all of the Theme Week content here and all of our ”Buckeye Heroes” articles here.
From 2003-2013 Ohio State had three of the best linebackers in program history roaming the sidelines for the Silver Bullets. AJ Hawk commanded the middle of the defense from 2003-2005, and was immediately followed by James Laurinaitis from 2006-2008. In 2012 Ryan Shazier burst into the scenes, leading the Silver Bullets from 2012-2013.
Together in eight seasons as starting linebackers for the Buckeyes, they combined for 992 tackles, 102 tackles for loss, 36.5 sacks, 11 forced fumbles, and 15 interceptions. For a decade the Silver Bullets had a game-changing linebacker rewriting the history books.
Hawk, according to Laurinitis, is on the Ohio State linebacking Mount Rushmore. Hawk led the Silver Bullets from 2003-2005 as a dominant force who struck fear in his opponents. Hawk finished his career with 394 tackles — the most by any linebacker after 1992.
When you look at the Ohio State defensive record books, you’ll notice that most of the record holders played in the 70s and 80s. The 2000s were the beginning of the end for offenses who relied on multiple tight ends and a bevy of running backs. Since 2000, every year the passing game has become more and more valuable, and yet Hawk was able to replicate some of the dominance from the 70s, solidifying himself as the best linebacker of the last 23 years.
Hawk is 2x All-American and 3x All Big Ten. In 2005 he won the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, as well as the Lombardi Award and the Jack Lambert Trophy. In 2005 Hawk totaled 141 tackles which are tied for 14th all-time with “Pepper” Johnson and Tom Consineau. There are 16 players listed in the Ohio State record book, due to ties, and Hawk’s 141 are the 2nd highest total by anyone who played after the 80s.
Despite all the great linebackers in Ohio State history, there have only been two players who have totaled more than 140 tackles in a season between 1987 when Chris Spielman had 156 tackles, following the 1986 season when he has 205.
Hawk was taken with the fifth pick in the 2006 NFL Draft, it’s unimaginable for a team to take a linebacker that high in the NFL Draft anymore. Hawk spent 11 seasons in the NFL, nine with the Green Bay Packers. He has over 900 career tackles in the NFL and helped Green Bay win Super Bowl XLV.
Hawk currently is a member of the Pat McAfee Show, and he is well known through the sports world for leading the Green Bay defense. While not a major contributor, Hawk was also on the 2002 National Championship Team. AJ Hawk is one of the greatest linebackers in Ohio State history.
James Laurinatis, or Coach Laurinatis, as he decided to grab a whistle and join the coaching staff, is a future College Football Hall of Famer. If the College Football Hall of Fame weren’t a joke, he would probably already be in, but no one really knows the criteria or the voting process for the Hall. Laurinaitis finished his Ohio State with 375 tackles, or an average of 125 per year for his three seasons as the starting middle linebacker.
He left Columbus for the NFL Draft as one of the most decorated players in Ohio State history. He finished his career a 3x Consensus All-American, 3x First Team All Big Ten, and 2x Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year. In all three seasons as a starter, he won postseason awards, winning the Bronko Nargurski Trophy in 2006, Butkus Award in 2007, and the Lott Trophy in 2007.
Laurinaitis was drafted in the second round of the NFL Draft, spending eight seasons in the NFL and racking up over 800 career tackles. Laurinaitis was a tackling machine, with him in your starting lineup you were guaranteed a middle linebacker who opponents would have to game plan for. He was an annual 100+ tackles per year and a leader of the defense.
Laurinaitis was the quintessential linebacker, now he’s tasked with reviving a stagnant linebacker room which had been a weakness for the past couple of seasons until 2022. Laurinaitis returned at the perfect time, as he gets the chance to coach Tommy Eichenberg, a throwback middle linebacker who reminds me of his coach.
Shazier was the last in a line of dominant linebackers. It’s a tough act to follow legends like Hawk and Laurinits, who made 100 tackle seasons seem regular. In the three seasons between Laurinitis leaving and Shazier taking the reigns, Ross Homan had 108 tackles, but in 2010 and 2011 the leader tackler only had 76 and 75 tackles respectively.
In 2012, Shazier took over the reins. In his first season as a starter, he totaled 115 tackles. In 2013, he became the second linebacker since Chris Speilman in the 1980s to have over 140 tackles in a season. Shazier finished 2012 with 143 tackles, which is tied for the 12th-highest season in Ohio State history. That season solidified Shazier as a Buckeye legend, as he had 101 solo tackles which are the 3rd most solo tackles in a season. He’s also tied with Tom Cousineau for 1st place with 16 solo tackles in a game.
Shazier is 14th all-time with 315 total tackles in his career. He is a 2x All-American, 2x All Big Ten, and was named on the 2nd team Big Ten All-Decade team. Shazier was drafted with the 15th pick of the 2014 NFL Draft and was an instant contributor for the Pittsburgh Steelers. He was voted to the 2016 and 2017 Pro Bowl teams before his career was cut short due to a catastrophic injury that left him paralyzed in 2017. He finished his NFL career with 299 tackles, and is one of the biggest what-ifs in the NFL as he was entering his prime and becoming the dominant linebacker he showed at Ohio State.
Shazier is walking now, and although he will never play football again, he is a major inspiration for players and fans. Shazier ended one of the most dominant decades in modern-day Ohio State History. We may never see a run of talented linebackers as we saw from 2003-2013 in AJ Hawk, James Laurinaitis, and Ryan Shazier.
Continue reading...
JordanW330 via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images
For a decade Ohio State was linebacker university with three all-world linebackers patrolling the sidelines.
From now until preseason camp starts in August, Land-Grant Holy Land will be writing articles around a different theme every week. This week is all about Ohio State heroes. Whether they are the biggest names in Buckeye athletic history or underappreciated icons; perhaps even players who made major impacts off the field. You can catch up on all of the Theme Week content here and all of our ”Buckeye Heroes” articles here.
From 2003-2013 Ohio State had three of the best linebackers in program history roaming the sidelines for the Silver Bullets. AJ Hawk commanded the middle of the defense from 2003-2005, and was immediately followed by James Laurinaitis from 2006-2008. In 2012 Ryan Shazier burst into the scenes, leading the Silver Bullets from 2012-2013.
Together in eight seasons as starting linebackers for the Buckeyes, they combined for 992 tackles, 102 tackles for loss, 36.5 sacks, 11 forced fumbles, and 15 interceptions. For a decade the Silver Bullets had a game-changing linebacker rewriting the history books.
AJ Hawk
Hawk, according to Laurinitis, is on the Ohio State linebacking Mount Rushmore. Hawk led the Silver Bullets from 2003-2005 as a dominant force who struck fear in his opponents. Hawk finished his career with 394 tackles — the most by any linebacker after 1992.
When you look at the Ohio State defensive record books, you’ll notice that most of the record holders played in the 70s and 80s. The 2000s were the beginning of the end for offenses who relied on multiple tight ends and a bevy of running backs. Since 2000, every year the passing game has become more and more valuable, and yet Hawk was able to replicate some of the dominance from the 70s, solidifying himself as the best linebacker of the last 23 years.
Hawk is 2x All-American and 3x All Big Ten. In 2005 he won the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, as well as the Lombardi Award and the Jack Lambert Trophy. In 2005 Hawk totaled 141 tackles which are tied for 14th all-time with “Pepper” Johnson and Tom Consineau. There are 16 players listed in the Ohio State record book, due to ties, and Hawk’s 141 are the 2nd highest total by anyone who played after the 80s.
Despite all the great linebackers in Ohio State history, there have only been two players who have totaled more than 140 tackles in a season between 1987 when Chris Spielman had 156 tackles, following the 1986 season when he has 205.
Hawk was taken with the fifth pick in the 2006 NFL Draft, it’s unimaginable for a team to take a linebacker that high in the NFL Draft anymore. Hawk spent 11 seasons in the NFL, nine with the Green Bay Packers. He has over 900 career tackles in the NFL and helped Green Bay win Super Bowl XLV.
Hawk currently is a member of the Pat McAfee Show, and he is well known through the sports world for leading the Green Bay defense. While not a major contributor, Hawk was also on the 2002 National Championship Team. AJ Hawk is one of the greatest linebackers in Ohio State history.
James Laurinaitis
James Laurinatis, or Coach Laurinatis, as he decided to grab a whistle and join the coaching staff, is a future College Football Hall of Famer. If the College Football Hall of Fame weren’t a joke, he would probably already be in, but no one really knows the criteria or the voting process for the Hall. Laurinaitis finished his Ohio State with 375 tackles, or an average of 125 per year for his three seasons as the starting middle linebacker.
He left Columbus for the NFL Draft as one of the most decorated players in Ohio State history. He finished his career a 3x Consensus All-American, 3x First Team All Big Ten, and 2x Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year. In all three seasons as a starter, he won postseason awards, winning the Bronko Nargurski Trophy in 2006, Butkus Award in 2007, and the Lott Trophy in 2007.
Laurinaitis was drafted in the second round of the NFL Draft, spending eight seasons in the NFL and racking up over 800 career tackles. Laurinaitis was a tackling machine, with him in your starting lineup you were guaranteed a middle linebacker who opponents would have to game plan for. He was an annual 100+ tackles per year and a leader of the defense.
Laurinaitis was the quintessential linebacker, now he’s tasked with reviving a stagnant linebacker room which had been a weakness for the past couple of seasons until 2022. Laurinaitis returned at the perfect time, as he gets the chance to coach Tommy Eichenberg, a throwback middle linebacker who reminds me of his coach.
Ryan Shazier
Shazier was the last in a line of dominant linebackers. It’s a tough act to follow legends like Hawk and Laurinits, who made 100 tackle seasons seem regular. In the three seasons between Laurinitis leaving and Shazier taking the reigns, Ross Homan had 108 tackles, but in 2010 and 2011 the leader tackler only had 76 and 75 tackles respectively.
In 2012, Shazier took over the reins. In his first season as a starter, he totaled 115 tackles. In 2013, he became the second linebacker since Chris Speilman in the 1980s to have over 140 tackles in a season. Shazier finished 2012 with 143 tackles, which is tied for the 12th-highest season in Ohio State history. That season solidified Shazier as a Buckeye legend, as he had 101 solo tackles which are the 3rd most solo tackles in a season. He’s also tied with Tom Cousineau for 1st place with 16 solo tackles in a game.
Shazier is 14th all-time with 315 total tackles in his career. He is a 2x All-American, 2x All Big Ten, and was named on the 2nd team Big Ten All-Decade team. Shazier was drafted with the 15th pick of the 2014 NFL Draft and was an instant contributor for the Pittsburgh Steelers. He was voted to the 2016 and 2017 Pro Bowl teams before his career was cut short due to a catastrophic injury that left him paralyzed in 2017. He finished his NFL career with 299 tackles, and is one of the biggest what-ifs in the NFL as he was entering his prime and becoming the dominant linebacker he showed at Ohio State.
Shazier is walking now, and although he will never play football again, he is a major inspiration for players and fans. Shazier ended one of the most dominant decades in modern-day Ohio State History. We may never see a run of talented linebackers as we saw from 2003-2013 in AJ Hawk, James Laurinaitis, and Ryan Shazier.
Continue reading...
