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.
Laurinaitis spent the 2023 season with the Buckeyes as a graduate student coach.
In addition to adding Laurinaitis to his staff, Ohio State head coach Ryan Day also announced the following coaching updates:
- Tim Walton has been promoted to assistant head coach/secondary and cornerbacks coach, and he has received a two-year contract extension through the 2026 season;
- Defensive coordinator Jim Knowles received a two-year contract extension through the 2026 season;
- Associate head coach/defensive line coach Larry Johnson has a new two-year contract through the 2025 season;
- Tight ends coach Keenan Bailey has earned a one-year contract extension through the 2025 season; and
- Tony Johnson has joined the staff as senior analyst.
Laurinaitis 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.
After an eight-year NFL career with the St. Louis Rams (2009-15) and New Orleans Saints (2016), Laurinaitis began his coaching career in 2022 as a graduate assistant at Notre Dame before coming to Columbus last season.
He helped mentor a veteran group of linebackers and produced the program’s first-ever Big Ten Linebacker of the Year: Tommy Eichenberg. Overall, Ohio State’s defense was second nationally in scoring (11.2 points allowed/game) and No. 3 in total defense (265.4 yards allowed/game).
Laurinaitis, who graduated from Ohio State in 2009 with his degree in communications, and his wife, Shelly, also an Ohio State graduate, have three young daughters.