Just sayin': Yeah, he definitely seems to be off to a great start.
Ohio State's linebackers coach is already proving to be a good recruiter.
247sports.com
James Laurinaitis is gaining experience, off to a good start on Buckeyes' recruiting trail
Ohio State's linebackers coach is already proving to be a good recruiter.
It has been quite the last six months for Ohio State linebackers coach James Laurinaitis. After moving back to his alma mater from Notre Dame last offseason, Laurinaitis was quickly promoted from graduate assistant to running the linebackers room full time.
While he did a lot of the linebacker coach last season, allowing defensive coordinator Jim Knowles to monitor the entire defense, things will be different for Laurinaitis on the field this year. He already experienced some of that in spring practice, but he will be judged on how his group – which has to replace both starters from last season – performs in the fall.
"I certainly felt like the linebacker coach last year. I think the guys would have said the same thing," Laurinaitis said is his first media availability as a full-time coach in February. "It's little things to me. So I think for me, it's just knowing that the title brings that those are your guys. That's your room. And there's a lot of responsibility with that. But I cherish that."
But the biggest change for Laurinaitis has come on the recruiting trail.
As a graduate assistant for both the Buckeyes and the Fighting Irish, Laurinaitis was involved with recruiting but couldn't go on the road. He could talk with prospects on the phone or when they visited campus but only full-time coaches can go out and make visits to high schools or homes.
Laurinaitis got his first taste of full-time recruiting following the 2023 season when head coach Ryan Day elected to part ways with special teams coordinator Parker Fleming, leaving a vacant spot on the staff. During recruiting periods early in the year, Laurinaitis was allowed to fill that role in recruiting, traveling to schools across the country including around Florida with Day.
Once he was officially named the Scarlet and Gray's linebackers coach, Laurinaitis got a real taste of what it's like to be on the recruiting trail.
"I drove from Gainesville, Georgia -- and yes, there's a Gainesville, Georgia -- all the way down to like Newnan (Georgia) in one day," Laurinaitis said during an appearance on 97.1 The Fan in May. "And let me tell you, I don't recommend that. And then it finished with a five-hour flight to LA, a couple days there. The red eye that was supposed to take off at midnight, it took off at 2 am to Dallas. Just grinding."
This is the grind that makes for a good recruiter, something Laurinaitis is proving to be in a short time.
Since being promoted to a full-time position coach on February 15, Laurinaitis has landed two linebacker commitments. Vero Beach, Florida's Tarvos Alford, the No. 8 linebacker in the 2025 class, announced his commitment to Ohio State in late March. On Saturday, Composite five-star Riley Pettijohn, the country's fifth-best linebacker, put on a Buckeye hat during his announcement.
This gives the Scarlet and Gray two of the top eight linebackers in the nation, something Ohio State hasn't managed in one class since 2018.
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