Laurinaitis’ last game? Possible

The Butkus Award-winning linebacker from OSU could leave for the NFL.

GATEHOUSE NEWS SERVICE

NEW ORLEANS — In the large shadows of his father, James Laurinaitis arrived at Ohio State an unknown. He was “Animal’s” kid, son of half of the Legion of Doom tag team “The Road Warriors.”

He may be playing his last game tonight, when Ohio State and LSU decide the college football national championship. The 21-year-old linebacker, a virtual NFL first-round lock if he decides to leave after his junior year, has made a name for himself.

Laurinaitis could leave as one of the best linebackers — if not the best — in Buckeye history. That’s heady stuff for a kid who was thrown into action against Michigan two years ago because of an injury.

Laurinaitis became the second OSU linebacker to win the Butkus Award, joining Andy Katzenmoyer. Laurinaitis won the Nagurski Award last season and was a finalist for it again, as well as the Lombardi, Lott and Bednarik awards.

“It’s unbelievable to be mentioned in the same category as A.J. [Hawk] or [Chris] Spielman,” Laurinaitis said. “To be honest, I don’t even feel like it’s necessary yet. I’m so humbled to even be up for these awards.

“I was down at the Lombardi, and seeing the six previous winners and reading those names off, it’s just so surprising to me. I still don’t feel like I’m on the same level as those players. ... I think you have to have the mentality that you’re not there yet. If you’re there, you’re going to be satisfied, and you’re not going to keep working the same.”

Laurinaitis is the kind of major college athlete that gives the sport a good image. When he speaks, he has a look of humility on his face — a look that says, “is this happening to me?”

Yet the 6-foot-3, 244-pound, two-time All-American was the Big Ten’s defensive player of the year. He is the leader of the best defense in college football with 103 tackles and five sacks.

In the last two seasons, Laurinaitis has 218 tackles, nine sacks and seven interceptions.

But back in the spring, when the Buckeyes still had some lingering self-confidence issues after being mauled by Florida, Coach Jim Tressel was unimpressed with his most recognizable player.

“I thought his spring was average for where I wanted him to be moving,” Tressel said.

If Laurinaitis needed motivation to improve on a sophomore season that put him on the map, that was it.

“I thought he really progressed,” Tressel said. “He played those two games as a true freshman, and then he played the whole season as a true sophomore and really grew. ... I thought his preseason really just took an upward trend in everything: His knowledge, his ability to get everyone else in the right place, his leadership.

“I really thought he had the preseason that catapulted him into giving us a chance to have some good leadership on a young group.”

Little Animal’s standing among the great OSU linebackers is sound. Still, Tressel won’t put him amongst the Spielmans, Gradishars, Cousineaus and Pepper Johnsons.

“In the midst of someone’s career, I hesitate to compare them,” Tressel said. “I think James really enjoys the fact that there is that tradition of people that weren’t just great linebackers, but they were great people, and they’ve gone on and done excellent things after.”

During the postseason awards banquet circuit, Laurinaitis got to know LSU defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey, who swept just about every award he was nominated for.

At the Lombardi banquet, Laurinaitis was sandwiched between Dorsey and Michigan’s Jake Long.

“People are like, ‘Why don’t you have a huge brawl with these guys?’ ” Laurinaitis said. “People don’t understand we have so much respect for each other as players. ... I told him every award we were up for together, he’d win. So I was right on every one of those. I’m glad he had 250 pounds of hardware to bring home.”

Dorsey’s awards haven’t fueled Laurinaitis’ drive, though. He gets that elsewhere.

“Just looking around our locker room gives me incentive to play my best,” Laurinaitis said. “The guys I care for in that locker room, the guys we’ve gone to battle with. ... If you go across campus and see one of your teammates, you act like you’ve never seen them before. That’s the kind of love we have on this team.”

Soon, there will be a decision to make. If Laurinaitis wants it, millions in the NFL await him. He could leave as a junior and be assured of being a first-round pick.

He said at the start of the season, he definitely would return for his senior season.

He backed off that near the end of the season.

“I’m just finding out what the NFL has to say about where I stand,” he said. “I’m definitely confident in coming back with this team. I love Ohio State. I love it here, and I’m having a good time.”