There are 8 days that separate us from Ohio State's march to Blacksburg. To help pass the time until the Buckeyes put the Sandman to bed I will countdown Ohio State's top 100 players according to the rubric* listed at the bottom of this article.
Laurinaitis is Ohio State's most decorated linebacker. Does that make him the best?
No. 8 JAMES LAURINAITIS, LB (2005-08)
Born: 1986 (Minneapolis)
High School: Wayzata
OHIO STATE CAREER
- The Buckeyes went 43-8 with Laurinaitis on the team.
- 2005 Big Ten Title.
- 2006 Big Ten Title.
- 2007 Big Ten Title.
- 2008 Big Ten Title.
- 2006 Defeated Notre Dame 34-20 in the Fiesta Bowl.
- 2006 Defeated No. 2 Texas 24-7 at Austin.
- Went 4-0 against That Team.
HONORS
- 2007 Captain.
- 2008 Captain.
- 2006 Bronko Nagurski Trophy.
- 2007 Dick Butkus Award.
- 2007 Jack Lambert Award.
- 2008 Lott Trophy.
- 2008 Lowe's Senior CLASS Award.
- 2006 All-American.
- 2006 All-Big Ten.
- 2006 Academic All-Big Ten.
- 2007 All-American.
- 2007 All-Big Ten.
- 2007 Academic All-Big Ten.
- 2008 All-American.
- 2008 All-Big Ten.
- 2008 Academic All-Big Ten.
- 2009 NLF All-Rookie.
- 2009 Rams Rookie of the Year.
James Laurinaitis and his dad with the Lott Trophy.
NFL DRAFT
Round 2 to the St. Louis Rams with the 35th pick of the 2009 draft.
James Laurinaitis' Ohio State career per The Ohio State Team Guide:
The most decorated linebacker in Ohio State history, James Laurinaitis was a three-time consensus All-American while playing on four Big Ten championship teams. Twice helping the Buckeyes to the BCS championship game (and setting a championship game record with 18 tackles vs. LSU), he won the Bronko Nagurski Award for the nation’s most outstanding defensive player as a sophomore, took home the Butkus Award as America’s top linebacker as a junior, and became Ohio State’s first-ever winner of both the Lott Trophy and the Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award as a senior. He was a finalist 12 times for national awards during that three-year period.
Leading Ohio State in tackles as a sophomore, junior and senior, Laurinaitis finished his career with 375 total tackles, seventh-best in Buckeye history. Selected as the preseason and postseason Big Ten defensive player of the year for 2007 and 2008, Laurinaitis was a two-time team captain for a defensive unit that led the nation in total defense in 2007 and never ranked lower than 15th nationally throughout his career.
The Little Animal led the Buckeyes in tackles in 2006, 2007 and 2008.
Laurinaitis returns for his senior season per The Ohio State Team Guide:
Despite projections of a high draft status after his junior campaign, the Hamel, Minn., native returned for his senior season, helping the Buckeyes put together their record fifth-straight win over Michigan. An academic all-Big Ten selection, Lauriniaitis was tireless in community service, public speaking and outreach. He was drafted by the NFL’s St. Louis Rams and graduated in March of his senior year.
| CATEGORY | POINTS |
|---|---|
| HEISMAN | |
| NO. RETIRED / HONORED | |
| BIG TEN MVP | |
| TEAM MVP | |
| ALL-AMERICAN | 12 |
| CAPTAIN | 8 |
| 1ST ROUND NFL DRAFT PICK | |
| ALL-BIG TEN | 9 |
| ACADEMIC ALL-AMERICAN | |
| NFL DRAFT PICK | 2 |
| ACADEMIC ALL-BIG TEN | 3 |
| LETTER | 0.75 |
| TOTAL | 34.75 |
For more information on other players who wore No. 33 go here.
Sources- The Ohio State Team Guide and Wikipedia
| CATEGORY | POINTS |
|---|---|
| HEISMAN | 8 |
| NO. RETIRED / HONORED | 8 |
| BIG TEN MVP | 6 |
| TEAM MVP | 5 |
| ALL-AMERICAN | 4 |
| CAPTAIN | 4 |
| 1ST ROUND NFL DRAFT PICK | 4 |
| ALL-BIG TEN | 3 |
| ACADEMIC ALL-AMERICAN | 3 |
| NFL DRAFT PICK | 2 |
| ACADEMIC ALL-BIG TEN | 1 |
| LETTER | 0.25 PER YEAR |
Today's article is brought to you by going 4-0 against That Team:
