'I've Learned So Much From Him!' Buckeyes Coach James Laurinaitis Making Immediate Impact

Former Buckeyes great James Laurinaitis joined the coaching staff as a graduate assistant and is in his first season with Ohio State.

Timm Hamm | Jun 29, 2023

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Ohio State Buckeyes

Ohio State has long been considered Linebacker-U. And this season is no different. Well, it's a little different. Former Buckeyes great James Laurinaitis joined the coaching staff as a graduate assistant and is in his first season with Ohio State.

Amazingly, it's just his second season overall in the coaching ranks, and he's already creating a buzz among the players.

Current Buckeyes linebacker Steele Chambers recently spoke about what Laurinaitis brings to the room with his arrival back in Columbus.

“Whenever I first heard he was coming in, I looked at his résumé and it’s freaking ridiculous, like something out of a movie,” Steele Chambers said during the spring.

Chambers indicates that because Laurinaitis played the position, he carries just a tad bit more weight than defensive coordinator and linebackers position coach Jim Knowles.

“A lot of what you say just has more gravity to it naturally because we know as a group that you've been there,” Chambers said during a recent conversation with Laurinaitis featured on Ohio State’s “Tradition Talk” video series. “You've gone through it, you've gone through all of the struggles that we have, so it just has more gravity. It just means a lot more to us.

But Chambers isn't alone with the respect that Laurinaitis brings with his experience in playing the position.

“Just in the little bit he's been here, I've learned so much from him,” redshirt freshman linebacker Gabe Powers said this spring. “Talking about outside zones, how to take on blocks, your footwork; he's helped us so much just in the little time he's been here.”

And Laurinaits is very intricate in paying attention to the details he brings with his coaching according to current redshirt sophomore linebacker Reid Carrico.

“Little things, little minor details, that he picked up along the way, whether it was when he was with the Rams or when he was here in college,” Carrico said of what Laurinaitis has brought to the linebacker room. “Obviously, he's been exposed to some great coaches. So his football mind is huge.”

Chambers added that Laurinaitis has such a way of coaching and teaching that anyone in the linebacker room can learn from him regardless of where they are in their football development.

Laurinaitis has plans to head out on the recruiting trail too, and he'll have much of the same impact. Coach Knowles is excited about the future of the linebackers with Laurinaitis helping with both coaching and recruiting.

“He knows so much from playing in the NFL,” Knowles said this spring. “He's really picked things up extremely quick. He's a professional.”