Ohio State helmet Syndication: The Columbus Dispatch

Three-time All-American linebacker James Laurinaitis is an Ohio State Buckeyes football legend for what he accomplished on the field, and now he has a chance to impact the team as a coach.

Earlier this month, James Laurinaitis was officially announced as the team’s full-time linebackers coach after joining the coaching staff last year as a graduate assistant. During his first press conference after his promotion, Laurinaitis made it pretty clear that this is a dream come true for him, and he now wants to be “an ambassador of Ohio State” as he recruits players to join the team.

“I try to be an ambassador of Ohio State. I love this school. It’s changed my life. It’s done wonders for me and my family,” Laurinaitis said according to Eleven Warriors. “To play here, recruit your position at the school you went to at the place that you love, it’s so natural. And so, when you’re explaining it to people, like, I’m sure there are some coaches that have to come off as car salesmen, there’s really none of that ‘cause I’ve lived it. And I think that’s a huge benefit, when you’re talking to young people trying to convince them to come to your school, it’s like, ‘This is what it did for me.’

“I love this place. And I want to raise my girls around this place, because of how special it is and how it changed my life. And I know how it can change all these other young men’s lives.”

It’s clear that Laurinaitis has a lot of passion for the school, and now he gets to bring that as a full-time coach.

[Eleven Warriors]