Joel Klatt praises Ohio State's hire of James Laurinaitis

There was a coaching move by the Ohio State Buckeyes that might have gone unnoticed recently. Ohio State has brought on former star linebacker James Laurinaitis as an assistant. On paper, this might not appear to be much of a move. Still, according to college football expert Joe Klatt, the Buckeyes could be setting themselves up for something magnificent on the defensive side of the ball.

“Our last subject is Ohio State. And I know it’s not like a splashy coordinator hire, but they just brought back James Laurinaitis,” said Klatt. “James Laurinaitis was a phenomenal college football player, a really great guy, by the way. Now, Ohio State kind of brought him back in kind of that grad assistant-style role. And to me, this is a big move for them because of what I feel like they think it will give them.

“So when I look at Ohio State, this is a team that has been good, top end in college football, but hasn’t been able to get over the hump. And in particular, in the last couple of years, I think they have some shortcomings on the defensive side. And it begs the question, what if or is there a way to recruit the safety position, the linebacker position in a similar fashion that you’ve been able to recruit the wide receiver position?”

Different from Buckeye teams in the past, Ohio State has struggled on the defensive side of the ball against quality opponents. Granted, the Buckeyes still produce some top-end individual talents on defense. However, they have had struggles putting it all together consistently. And Klatt believes Laurinaitis can do for Ohio says defense what another former Buckeye-turned-coach has done for their offense.

“Nobody in college football has owned the wide receiver position in recruiting like Brian Hartline and Ohio State. When you look at Brian Hartline, you bring a guy back with NFL experience, good energy, and a smart player (who) played at the school. And he turned into an absolute force on the recruiting trail and built the best wide receiver room in college football. I think what they’re envisioning for James Laurinaitis is that he is the defensive version of Brian Hartline. If Ohio State could get a guy like Hartline recruiting on the defensive side of the ball and build that type of assistant coach, they would have something.

“Imagine if they had safeties like they were churning out wide receivers over the last couple of years; might be very different outcomes in some of those close games. And so, I think that’s what they’re going to be chasing.”

From the outside looking in, it would be hard to know exactly what the Ohio State brass is thinking or considering down the line with Laurinaitis. Still, Klatt sees the former Buckeye standout being a possible major acquisition that can help Ohio State in recruiting going forward. If he can, the Buckeyes could be the next dynasty established in college football for years to come.