James Laurinaitis isn’t the only former Ohio State linebacker who will be a graduate assistant in the Big Ten this year.
Former Ohio State linebacker Tuf Borland is now a defensive graduate assistant on Luke Fickell’s staff at Wisconsin, according to the Badgers’ official website.
A three-time captain at Ohio State, Borland pursued a career in the NFL after completing his Buckeye career in 2020 but played in just two games with the Minnesota Vikings in 2021. He did not sign with another team after he was waived by the Vikings last May, and is now making the jump from playing to coaching.
It’s a reunion for Borland with Fickell, who recruited Borland to Ohio State and coached Borland for one season as the Buckeyes’ defensive coordinator and linebackers coach before he became the head coach at Cincinnati. Fickell is now entering his first season as the head coach at Wisconsin, who will host Ohio State this season for an Oct. 28 game at Camp Randall Stadium.
Borland’s father, Kyle, played linebacker at Wisconsin from 1979-82.
