Ohio State is one of the elite programs in the history of college football. With the latest College Football Hall of Fame ballot sent out, a pair of Buckeyes have a chance to be enshrined in the game’s hallowed halls.
Ohio State Legends Urban Meyer, James Laurinaitis on Hall of Fame Ballot for 2025
CFB Hall of Fame ballots are out for 2025. Nick Saban, Urban Meyer and Tommy Tubberville are among the coaches included.
A few player names of note: Michael Vick, Haloti Ngata, Kellen Moore, DeSean Jackson, Ki-Jana Carter, Aaron Donald, Manti Te'o and Marvin Harrison. pic.twitter.com/viREf0ilI9
— Ben Portnoy (@bportnoy15) June 3, 2024
You’d be hard-pressed to be able to tell the story of Ohio State football without mentioning either Laurinaitis or Meyer. These Ohio State legends made their own marks on the program in two very different time but still exemplified what it meant to be a Buckeye.
Laurinaitis was generational as a Buckeye. He was on campus for four years under Jim Tressell and was a full-time player in three years. In those three years, Laurinaitis logged 366 tackles, 24 TFLs, 13 sacks, and a whopping nine interceptions as a linebacker. As a player, he had a long list of athletic achievements and awards.
They were:
- First-Team All-American (2006, 2007, 2008)
- Unanimous All-American (2007)
- First-Team All-Big Ten (2006, 2007, 2008)
- Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year (2007, 2008)
- Jack Lambert Trophy (2006, 2007)
- Bronco Nagursky Trophy (2006)
- Butkus Award (2007)
- Lott Trophy (2008)
When it comes to Hall of Fame discussions, often the question is posed, “Was this player the best at his position at any point in his career?” In Laurinaitis’ case, the answer is an unequivocal, “yes.”
After his time was up at Ohio State, Laurinaitis was drafted by the St. Louis Rams in the second round of the 2009 NFL Draft. He would have a respectable eight-year career. In his seven seasons with the Rams, Laurinaitis did not miss a start and amassed 854 tackles, 49 TFLs, forced eight fumbles, broke up 24 passes, and hauled in 10 interceptions. He led the NFL in solo tackles in 2012.
A National Championship Coach
To say Urban Meyer took over a program that was reeling would be an understatement. First, the program had to abruptly part ways with Ohio State legend, Jim Tressell due to infractions that were a joke then and an even bigger joke today. Due to that, Luke Fickell had to step in and Ohio State had its worst season in program history with seven losses.
As a result, Ohio State swung for the fences and lured Meyer out of retirement. As a result, Meyer and the Buckeyes went 83-9 in seven seasons. Ohio State lost just four regular-season Big Ten games under Meyer and never more than one in a season. He led the Buckeyes to a 5-2 bowl record including the 2014 College Football Playoff National Championship.
While Ohio State was already a national brand prior to Meyer, he took it to another level. His efforts on the recruiting trail set the Buckeyes up for years with top-tier, NFL-ready talent and it showed. In his seven seasons, his recruiting classes finished 5th, 2nd, 3rd, 7th, 4th, 2nd, and 2nd nationally. Ohio State held the best recruiting class in the Big Ten in each of those seasons as well.
When it was all said and done, Meyer apparently hung it up and literally passed the whistle to his protege, Ryan Day. He stayed retired from coaching for two years before getting back in the saddle with the Jacksonville Jaguars where he promptly flamed out after 11 games.
Meyer was certainly one of the best coaches that Ohio State has had despite his shorter tenure. Compared to Woody Hayes, Meyer was not around for long. However, his on-field impact got Ohio State back to national prominence and set Day up for success.
He’s the reason Day is often regarded as being born on third base, as asinine as that is. Meyer would be a fine addition to the College Football Hall of Fame alongside another coach who will likely be unanimous, Nick Saban. Meyer and Saban faced off four times with each side claiming two victories.
