LB James Laurinaitis (St. Louis Rams)

[BuckNutty]

http://rivals100.rivals.com/viewprospect.asp?pr_key=26482
http://scout.scout.com/a.z?s=145&p=8&c=1&nid=1164216



James Laurinaitis
Inside linebacker
Plymouth (MN)
Wayzata
Height: 6-foot-2
Weight: 230 pounds
40-yard dash: 4.7 seconds
GPA: 3.3

Biography:
Considered the top linebacker in the state in the Class of 2005. Also a standout hockey player who led Trojans to state tournament. Had 128 tackles, 10 tackles for loss and four interceptions in 2003.

Rivals Premium

Laurinaitis verbaled to the Gophers early in the process. He now wants to take some visits. He has an offer from Ohio State and will make an official visit on the weekend of December 3rd.

[StoRMinBrutus]

Any leads on how interested he is in Ohio Stated or is he just trying to solidify his decisions before LOI? He sure seems like a good Linebacker with a good nose for the ball. It would be nice to see him playing in the Shoe all the time instead of the MetroDome.

[smitty03]

Alot of new LB prospects are coming out right now. Is it because Ohio State has lost interest in Alex Daniels and Freddie Lenix? Or possibly they have lost interest in Ohio State. I hope not, top notch Ohio kids need to stay in Ohio. I would much rather have Ohio kids playing football for Ohio State then any other state. Everyone talked about Florida "speed", well that was bull[censored] because tOSU beat Miami. Its nice to pick up blue chip prospects, but we need to keep all the crop in Ohio at Ohio State.

[Buckskin86]

Minny newspaper

Wayzata linebacker James Laurinaitis committed to Mason following the Gophers spring game, but now says he will make visits to Ohio State and Notre Dame before making his final decision.

[LloydSev]

you saw it too... that was like the last line of the whole article.

[StoRMinBrutus]

Wasn't his father a wwf wrestler? Not joking. Ifs its the same kid, he has alot of positives. Good eye for the ball and can shed blocks very well to get to the RB's.

[bearonu]

Well, you're referring to John Laurinaitis (don't know if the spelling is the same, just copied it from this thread), known when he wrestled as Johnny Ace. He actually still works for WWE behind the scenes I believe. Don't know one way or another if there is any legit relation though.

[StoRMinBrutus]

I thought he was that guy from way back called the road warriors and he was Animal ... showing my age haha

James is a good LB from what I hear. It will be interesting to see how this plays out.

[LloydSev]

It is spelled the same, and he does still work behind the scenes for WWE. Haven't found any profiles on him though.

[bearonu]

Not to hijack the thread, but you might actually be on the right track, because Johnny Ace and Road Warrior Animal are brothers. Man I know too much about wrestling from my past days as a fan .

[Buckskin86]

http://www.startribune.com/stories/503/5092073.html

Gophers football recruit James Laurinaitis of Wayzata is telling friends his commitment to Minnesota is solid even though he might visit Ohio State.

[Buckskin86]

http://www.mnsun.com/story.asp?city=...d&story=148441

Defensive standouts for Wayzata included Joey Miller with 11 unassisted tackles and senior linebacker James Laurinaitis had six solo and two assisted tackles.

“Our defense was better than a lot of people might have thought,” said Laurinaitis, the team’s leading tackler. “We had a few new guys, so we might have been underestimated. But we just kept getting better all season.”

[Buckskin86]

Bnuts premium

Laurinaitis will visit tOSU next weekend. He will visit Minny after tOSU (Minny requested this- they wanted his visit after tOSU). ND looks like they are out now that TY has been fired.

He likes the idea of learning from the experienced Buckeye LB's. He is also excited to see the stadium. James feels the most comfortable at the MIKE.

He says he may make his decision before the Minny visit. Obviously he has been to Minny before so the tOSU visit could determine where he goes.

[osugrad21]

Son of RoadWarrior Animal...What a Rush

Sounds like a player...

[brutus2002]

I would like to extend a big thank you to ND for firing Ty Willingham. It has eliminated them from the competition of a couple of linebacker recruits we are recruiting. Mr. Laurinaitis and Mr. Felder need to commit themselves to OSU.