James Richard Laurinaitis (born December 3, 1986) is an American football coach and former player. He currently serves as the linebackers coach at the Ohio State University. He played as a linebacker for the St. Louis Rams and New Orleans Saints of the National Football League (NFL).

Feb 20, 2024 · James Laurinaitis was a three-time All-American linebacker at Ohio State. Now he's thrilled to be coaching that position officially for the Buckeyes.

Laurinaitis, who spent the 2023 season with the Buckeyes as a graduate student coach, is one of only eight three-time All-Americans in Ohio State history, and he is the most recent. He played on four Big Ten championship teams at Ohio State, twice helped the team to the BCS national championship game and went 4-0 in games against Michigan.

Feb 15, 2024 · Ohio State promoted Laurinaitis to linebackers coach on Thursday, making him one of their 10 full-time assistant coaches one year after initially hiring Laurinaitis as a graduate assistant.

Jan 18, 2025 · ATLANTA – They will be opponents on Monday, but for James Laurinaitis and Marcus Freeman, it will be a brief pause in a deep friendship. Their bond formed as Ohio State linebackers two decades ago.

Feb 21, 2024 · When James Laurinaitis was brought to Ohio State last year as a graduate assistant, the expectation from the outside was that he would eventually become the Buckeyes’ linebacker coach. Following the 2023 season, Ryan Day let go three of his assistant coaches and quickly replaced two of them.

Feb 15, 2024 · COLUMBUS, Ohio — Three-time Buckeye All-American James Laurinaitis will be Ohio State football's next linebackers coach, the university's athletics department announced Thursday.

Feb 20, 2024 · Just two years after starting his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Notre Dame, Laurinaitis is now Ohio State’s full-time linebackers coach, receiving that promotion from Ryan Day last...

Feb 15, 2024 · Ohio State head coach Ryan Day has finalized his coaching staff with the promotion of James Laurinaitis from graduate assistant to linebackers coach. The university has confirmed the move to Buckeye Huddle. Laurinaitis joined Day’s staff last year as a GA and worked with the Buckeye linebackers.

Feb 2, 2023 · James Laurinaitis returns to Ohio State with a goal of becoming “the best linebacker coach in the country” and says he’ll “attack this year with that vision.”