James Laurinaitis To Be Inducted Into College Football Hall Of Fame In Class Of 2026

Former Ohio State linebacker James Laurinaitis is a Hall of Famer.

The current Buckeye linebackers coach was selected as the newest member of the College Football Hall of Fame class of 2026 on Wednesday and is the 29th former OSU player to be enshrined.

Laurinaitis — a Wayzata, Minn., native who played at Ohio State from 2005-08 — finished his college career with 375 tackles, 24.5 tackles for loss and 13 sacks. He also added nine interceptions and four forced fumbles.

Those numbers were enough to make him a three-time All-American and the Nagurski Award winner — which goes to the best defensive player in college football each year — in his 2006 sophomore campaign. He was the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year twice in his career at Ohio State (2007, 2008).

After his Buckeye career, Laurinaitis was selected in the second round of the 2009 NFL draft by the St. Louis Rams with the 35th overall selection. He lasted eight seasons in the NFL, seven of them with the Rams before he spent five games in 2016 with the New Orleans Saints before retiring.

He joined the Buckeyes in 2023 as a graduate assistant before being promoted to full-time linebackers coach leading up to the 2024 season, and has boasted impressive seasons from his linebackers and strong recruiting classes at the position.

In each of his seven seasons in St. Louis, he played all 16 games. Laurinaitis finished his pro career with 871 total tackles (664 solo), 49 tackles for loss and 16.5 sacks. He added 35 passes defended, 10 interceptions and two forced fumbles.

Laurinaitis joins an impressive group of former Buckeye linebackers in the College Football Hall of Fame. He is the fourth to be enshrined, joining Randy Gradishar (class of 1998), Chris Spielman (2009) and Tom Cousineau (2016).