LB James Laurinaitis (St. Louis Rams)

[Buckskin86]

Insiders premium- Chirs Pool

He said he hasn't committed yet

"I didn't commit but can honestly say that Ohio State is probably out in front right now."

[Moose]

Welcome aboard James!! I am soooo glad you chose the buckeyes! Its gonna be exciting to see you runnin' around and layin' the wood to the running backs! Wow!

Moose

Oops! I thought he had. I hope he will!

Moose

[osugrad21]

Strange twist there...he said in the initial interview he still had to talk to JT tomorrow. Could that be the "official" hold up?

[Moose]

Hope your right OSUgrad21.

Moose

[ohiobuck94]

I think to be official the recruit has to commit to the head coach.

The Buckeyes got another verbal commitment this weekend as linebacker James Laurinaitis of Plymouth, Minnesota committed to Ohio State. Laurinaitis was previously committed to the University of Minnesota, but he told us a short time ago that he decided to switch his decision.
"It was fun," Laurinaitis said. "It was just a really fun trip, and I committed.

[Buckskin86]

Originally Posted by osugrad21

Strange twist there...he said in the initial interview he still had to talk to JT tomorrow. Could that be the "official" hold up?

grad- he might want to keep it unofficial until he visits Minny next weekend- just as a courtesy to their coaches

[osugrad21]

Originally Posted by Buckskin86

grad- he might want to keep it unofficial until he visits Minny next weekend- just as a courtesy to their coaches

That's a good point as well...

EDIT: BN is sticking by their commitment statement although they did say anything is possible.

[crazybuckfan40]

This seems kind of strange with different people saying different things, but if true it is good news.

[bucknut11]

Rivals is also listing him as a commit....

http://www.ohiostate.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=365432

[Buckskin86]

http://www.startribune.com/stories/513/5133521.html

Minny paper today

Recruits spurn 'U'

The Gophers lost two in-state recruits to Big Ten schools Sunday, according to Rivals.com recruiting Web site.

Wayzata linebacker James Laurinaitis, who said in the spring that he would play for the Gophers, committed to Ohio State after making his official visit this weekend, the Web site said, and Cretin-Derham Hall offensive tackle Rafael Eubanks committed to Iowa after taking his official visit.

[BrutuStrength]

Excellent! He sounds like a great player and a sharp kid.

[tsteele316]

Originally Posted by Buckskin86

http://www.startribune.com/stories/513/5133521.html

Minny paper today

and the hits keep on coming with ashley making it rather clear he isnt going to minny.

[Buckskin86]

free insiders- Chris Pool

Posted: Dec 13, 2004

Ohio State makes big impression but Gophers get last shot.
Gophers Still Have A Pulse
By Chris Pool

Midwest Recruiting Analyst

Minnesota’s James Laurinaitis gave the University of Minnesota his verbal commitment before the start of the 2004 season. One of the big reasons for his commitment to the Gophers was defensive coordinator Greg Hudson. With Hudson now the head coach at Eastern Carolina, that opened the door for Laurinaitis to weigh his options.
LB James Laurinaitis

“This is the one time in my life where I get to be selfish,” James Laurinaitis told Scout.com.

“I’m going to do what’s best for me. I was told by the people at the U of M (Minnesota) that I shouldn’t worry, that coach Hudson wasn’t going anywhere.

“The very next day, I see in the paper that Coach Hudson is the new coach at Eastern Carolina.

“Coach Hudson was one of the main reasons for my commitment. He reminded me a lot of my father. Coach (Gordon) Shaw was another reason I committed to Minnesota.

“Coach Hudson had to do what was best for him and his family. I’m going to do what’s best for me.”

Laurinaitis, a 6-foot-2, 230-pound linebacker from Plymouth (Wayzata) was named Mr. Football in Minnesota this year. He had 193 tackles, 23 tackles for loss, 5 sacks, 3 forced fumbles and a fumble recovery.

Laurinaitis visited Ohio State this past weekend and now the Gophers have their work cut out for them this weekend.

“When Ohio State called and offered, I was thrilled to say the least.” Laurinaitis said.

“Ohio State is a major, national power. Ohio State is one of the most recognizable football powers in the United States.

“My official visit was amazing. It was overwhelming to say the least. Chad Hoobler was my host.

“The facilities, the coaches, the players and the campus were incredible. I couldn’t get over the stadium.

“Watching A.J. Hawk and Bobby Carpenter flying around the field was awesome. It made me want to be their teammate and not an opponent.” Laurinaitis is going to visit Minnesota with an open mind this weekend.

“I’m going to show Minnesota some respect. [Gopher defensive back] Dom Barber is a friend of mine and I want to get the chance to talk to him.

“Ohio State is my leader right now. I’m going to visit Minnesota this weekend and when I have things sorted out, I’ll make a decision.”

Besides being named Mr. Football in Minnesota, Laurinaitis was named all-state, all-metro and all-conference.

[backhomeinohio]

Does anyone know how many games they play in MN?

193 tackles seems like a career for some and he did it in one year?

[BuckNutty]

Originally Posted by backhomeinohio

193 tackles seems like a career for some and he did it in one year?

After 11 games as a senior he had 152 tackles. He also had over 100 tackles during his junior year.