James Laurinaitis, who starred at Ohio State from 2005-08, is back with the Buckeyes for the 2023 season.

Ryan Day announced the hiring of Laurinaitis as a graduate assistant on Friday afternoon. He will assist the Ohio State coaching staff in working the the team’s linebackers.

“I am thrilled for our program and especially for our current and future Buckeyes who will benefit so much from having James on staff,” Day said in a press release. “James is a terrific young man with wisdom as a Buckeye and experience as an eight-year NFL veteran. He is going to be a very important part of our program going forward.”

Laurinaitis was a 3-time consensus All-American with the Buckeyes. He also took home honors such as the Butkus Award, Bronko Nagurski Trophy and the Jack Lambert Trophy. He was also a 2-time Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year.

Per Ohio State, he’s 1 of only 8 Buckeyes to achieve 3-time All-America status and no member of the program has accomplished that feat since he did so from 2006-08.

Laurinaitis joins the Buckeyes after spending the 2022 season as a graduate assistant at Notre Dame. He’s a former teammate of Fighting Irish coach Marcus Freeman.

Sports Betting in Big Ten Country

Sports betting in Ohio is officially launching on January 1, 2023.

Pre-registration is now available at FanDuel Ohio for an extra $100 bonus. Take advantage now.

21+ and present in OH. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER.