50 greatest college football players this century, ranked

James Laurinaitis #33 of the Ohio State Buckeyes (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)

• Lott Trophy (2008)
• Butkus Award (2007)
• Bronko Nagurski Trophy (2006)
• 2× Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year (2007, 2008)
• 3× Consensus All-American (2006, 2007, 2008)
• 3× First-team All-Big Ten (2006, 2007, 2008)

Ohio State has had a long list of standout linebackers of the years. No one besides James Laurinaitis was a consensus first-team All-American for three straight seasons. And no one else in Buckeye history has ever been the Big Ten’s Defensive Player of the year in back-to-back seasons.

From 2006 to 2008, Laurinaitis started 39 straight games for Ohio State with a record of 33-6. Although the lost both games in 2006 and 2007, he led the Buckeyes to back to back national championship appearances during that span as well. Laurinaitis had three straight seasons with over 110 tackles and totaled 375 for his career to go with 24.5 tackles for losses, 13 sacks and nine interceptions.

Bonus Stats: The Buckeyes lost both national title appearances during Laurinaitis’s tenure in Columbus but it wasn’t because he didn’t play well. His sophomore year against Florida, he had 15 tackles and as a junior against LSU, he compiled 18 total tackles. Those two games were two of his three career highs in tackles (the other was a 19-tackle game against Wisconsin in 2007).