Ohio State has another College Football Hall of Famer.
Former Ohio State linebacker and current Ohio State linebackers coach James Laurinaitis has been selected as a member of the College Football Hall of Fame class of 2026.
| PLAYER | POSITION | YEARS | INDUCTED |
|---|---|---|---|
| CHIC HARLEY | HB | 1916-17, 19 | 1951 |
| WES FESLER | E | 1928-30 | 1954 |
| LES HORVATH | QB | 1940-42, 44 | 1969 |
| BILL WILLIS | T | 1942-44 | 1971 |
| GAYLORD STINCHCOMB | HB | 1917-20 | 1973 |
| JIM PARKER | G | 1954-56 | 1974 |
| GUST ZARNAS | G | 1935-37 | 1975 |
| VIC JANOWICZ | HB | 1949-51 | 1976 |
| JIM DANIEL | T | 1939-41 | 1977 |
| GOMER JONES | C | 1934-35 | 1978 |
| HOPALONG CASSADY | HB | 1952-55 | 1979 |
| WARREN AMLING | G/T | 1944-46 | 1984 |
| ARCHIE GRIFFIN | RB | 1972-75 | 1986 |
| AUREALIUS THOMAS | G | 1955-57 | 1989 |
| JIM STILLWAGON | MG | 1968-70 | 1991 |
| BOB FERGUSON | FB | 1959-61 | 1996 |
| RANDY GRADISHAR | LB | 1971-73 | 1998 |
| JOHN HICKS | T | 1970-73 | 2001 |
| JACK TATUM | DB | 1968-70 | 2004 |
| JIM HOUSTON | E | 1957-58 | 2005 |
| REX KERN | QB | 1968-70 | 2007 |
| CHRIS SPIELMAN | LB | 1984-87 | 2009 |
| EDDIE GEORGE | RB | 1992-95 | 2011 |
| ORLANDO PACE | LT | 1994-96 | 2013 |
| TOM COUSINEAU | LB | 1975-78 | 2016 |
| KEITH BYARS | RB | 1982-85 | 2020 |
| MIKE DOSS | S | 1999-02 | 2022 |
| CHRIS WARD | OT | 1974-77 | 2024 |
| JAMES LAURINAITIS | LB | 2005-08 | 2026 |
Laurinaitis will be the 29th former Ohio State player inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. He’s the fourth Buckeye linebacker to become a College Football Hall of Famer, joining Randy Gradishar, Chris Spielman and Tom Cousineau.
Laurinaitis is one of just eight players in Ohio State history to earn first-team All-American honors three times. Across four seasons as a Buckeye, Laurinaitis recorded 375 total tackles with 24.5 tackles for loss, 13 sacks, nine interceptions and four forced fumbles.
The only two-time winner of the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year Award (2007 and 2008), Laurinaitis also won the Bronko Nagurski Trophy as college football’s best defensive player in 2006, the Butkus Award as college football’s best linebacker in 2007 and the Lott IMPACT Trophy in 2008.
Laurinaitis helped the Buckeyes win four straight Big Ten championships and go 4-0 against Michigan from 2005-08, making two national championship game appearances in the process. He was a two-time captain at Ohio State, holding that distinction in 2007 and 2008.
Selected by the St. Louis Rams in the second round of the 2009 NFL draft, Laurinaitis went on to play in the NFL for eight seasons, recording 871 tackles with 49 tackles for loss, 16.5 sacks, 10 interceptions, 35 passes defensed, two forced fumbles and nine fumble recoveries.
Laurinaitis returned to Ohio State as a coach in 2023, initially joining the Buckeyes’ staff as a graduate assistant. He is now in his third year as Ohio State’s linebackers coach after being promoted into that role in 2024.
Laurinaitis will be officially inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame on Dec. 8 at the NFF Annual Awards Dinner in Las Vegas.
It’s the third year in a row that an Ohio State great will be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. Former Ohio State offensive tackle Chris Ward was a member of the Hall of Fame’s 2024 class, while former Ohio State coach Urban Meyer was a member of the Hall of Fame’s 2025 class.
