We're counting down the days to kickoff with “99 Warriors,” the greatest Ohio State Buckeyes by jersey number, as voted by the staff of Eleven Warriors.
No. 33 James Laurinaitis
A native of Minnesota, Laurinaitis played sparingly as a freshman behind the likes of A.J. Hawk, Bobby Carpenter and Anthony Schlegel. He was thrown into the fire in the final regular season game of his freshman season against Michigan after Carpenter was injured, and from that point on, he was a mainstay on the Buckeye defense.
- First Team All-American (2006-08)
- First Team All-Big Ten (2006-08)
- Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year (2007-08)
- Team Captain (2007-08)
- Nagurski Trophy (2006)
- Butkus Award (2007)
- Lott Impact Trophy (2008)
During his first season as a starter, Laurinaitis helped lead Ohio State's defense to an undefeated regular season, tallying a team-high 115 tackles as the Buckeyes went on to lose the BCS title game to Florida, 41-14.