James Laurinaitis Excited To Watch His Three Freshman Linebackers Take Off

Ohio State linebackers coach James Laurinaitis is in just his second season as a full-time position coach for the Buckeyes but he has already earned a solid reputation as a developer and recruiter.

That development was seen in 2024 with the stellar play of linebackers Cody Simon, Sonny Styles, and Arvell Reese. For both Styles and Reese, it was their first full year at linebacker for the Buckeyes and their growth could be seen over the course of the season.

The recruiting was also on display, as Laurinaitis signed three talented linebackers in the 2025 class. Texas’ Riley Pettijohn, Florida’s TJ Alford, and Ohio’s Eli Lee could all have gone just about anywhere, but each of them ended up with the Buckeyes.

In looking for future linebackers, Laurinaitis found all of the qualities on his checklist in the trio of freshmen who are now on campus for the Buckeyes.

“You look at all three guys, they played really good competition in high school. And you look for that,” Laurinaitis told Buckeye Huddle recently. “You look for guys who are leaders on their team too. You don’t wanna bring guys in who don’t have those leadership capabilities.”

Playing against top competition is one thing. Excelling against it is another. And bringing their teammates along with them is as important as anything else. Linebacker is a unique position and requires unique people. It’s more than just making a tackle.

“So when you watch all three of them play, as you went around the recruiting trail, you’re like, ‘Hey, they have the ability to captivate the room that they’re in,'” Laurinaitis explained. “So I think that’s kind of the main thing, was trying to figure out how do these guys fit. They’re all three leaders. They all three had really good high school competition.”

All three linebackers will be coming in with expectations, be it their own or from others. Those expectations tend to take a hit early in a player’s career because of the step up in competition they are taking. The learning curve is always going to be a trial by fire, which is why Laurinaitis tries to find the guys who will handle it best during recruitment.

“There’s always an adjustment when they come in,” Laurinaitis said. “I like that all three are coming in early here. So I’m excited to get to work with those guys. There’s a lot to teach. There’s a lot to learn. I always tell these kids, however fast you learn the system and you learn the way to do things and get ingrained in the culture, will contribute to how much you’re gonna play. So I’m excited to see how they approach that and take off with it.”

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